To live a life
by FMPtrumpets
Summary: Harry's been feeling like something was being kept from him for a while... he just didn't expect the goblins to be the ones to rescue him from the Dursleys and explain. Bad Dumbledore, good Snape, slightly manipulated but still good Weasley's.
1. Chapter 1

Harry lay in bed, thinking, remembering.

It had been almost a week since Dobby the House-Elf's visit, and since being locked in this room, he had nothing to do _but_ sit and think.

It had, of course, become increasingly difficult to concentrate the hungrier he got and the more worried he grew about Hedwig.

She was getting awfully thin, while neither of them had really been getting hardly any food, Harry knew from the book on owl care he had to practically force Hagrid to let him buy (Hagrid hadn't wanted him to buy anything that wasn't specifically on the list. Now that he thought about it, that was stupid, how on earth was he supposed to get background information except through buying books with the information?) that post owls burned through energy faster than people. Even faster than regular owls. It had to do with them being influenced by magic so they could actually deliver the post. So, while they were both starving, Hedwig was starving faster than him. Meaning she would become weaker and die before he would begin to even reach that point, especially with how used to going without food he was.

He gave her all the food he could, but... he worried.

The Dursley's never really touched him. Dudley and the occasional frying pan to the head or smack didn't count to his mind. No, they took more pleasure in depriving him of basic human needs like food. And now Hedwig was suffering for it too.

So, in an attempt to not worry himself to death with something he could not control, he thought, and he remembered. And he considered the past year.

He thought about how some of the kids at school seemed to expect him to know and follow certain customs or traditions, customs and traditions that he just couldn't make heads or tales of, stuff that he had a funny feeling he would know if he had grown up magical like them. He thought about how, at the beginning of the year, those same students came to try and talk to him about the political state of affairs, and they all expected him to know exactly what they were talking about. A few of them even said something about honoring their family alliances.

They all seemed to be very offended when he wasn't interested in politics or their 'family alliances'. Of course, it wasn't that he wasn't interested, he just had no idea what they were talking about.

He could even think back to the beginning of the year and when he rejected Malfoy's hand. The more he thought about it, the more he had a bad feeling that he had somehow insulted Malfoy by some wizarding world custom that he didn't know. Malfoy's reaction certainly suggested it.

He wondered if all the fighting between him and Malfoy would have happened if he had just shaken his hand, if he would have known whether or not it was an insult to not shake someones hand.

He remembered how, at Gringotts with Hagrid, some of the goblins had appeared to be trying to get him on his own to talk to him about something, but Hagrid refused to move his giant hand from Harry's small shoulder the entire time they were there.

Above all, he wondered why. Why did those kids seem to expect something from him, (besides the usual Boy-Who-Lived bull) why did they seem so insulted when he didn't seem to have any interest in what they were talking about? Why did Malfoy take it so personally that he didn't shake his hand? And why did the goblins want him away from Hagrid?

He needed a plan, he needed to get out of here somehow and get to Gringotts. From the Goblins behavior last summer, he had a feeling that if anyone could help, it would be the goblins.

'Although', he thought looking sadly over at his familiar, 'I really should get Hedwig to a vet or something first... maybe the goblins can help me with that as well? Hedwig, hang in there, I'll figure us a way out of this.'

* * *

For the next two days, he thought, worried, and planned. He fed Hedwig all of the 'food' they were given, coaxing and watching helplessly as she weakly forced herself to eat. He knew he couldn't say anything to the Dursley's, they would probably stop giving them food all together.

At the end of those two days, he thought he had a plan figured out. He had to somehow pick the padlock and send Hedwig to Ron with instructions to take her to whatever the wizarding world's equivalent to a vet was. The problem was, he wasn't sure if he should trust anyone with his owl. About a week into first year, an article about him had come out about him going to Hogwarts, that he was in Gryffindor, and that he had a beautiful snowy owl named Hedwig.

He knew that he was seen as the 'savior' of the wizarding world and almost everybody loved him, but at the same time, he also had enemies in those who supported Voldemort. Not to mention, who knew what his 'adoring fans' would do to his owl, either tracking her so the lunatics could get a hold of his stuff, or just otherwise being lunatic fans. He didn't want to put Hedwig through that. There was a reason he told her to be careful and he was careful not to be seen sending her out.

Now that he thought about it, how on earth did they know that? The only person he had told had been Ron, unless he mentioned his owls name in passing to someone. Oh, well, not important.

That, and, he didn't know how expensive it would be to have her looked at, and the Weasley's didn't exactly have a whole lot of money. That plan probably wouldn't work.

His eyes fell on the cat flap. He started glancing between the flap and himself, comparing sizes. Maybe if he could squeeze through there, unlock the door from the outside, grab Hedwig and go... he would worry about the padlock's after he got out.

But, what about his trunk? Maybe if he was really desperate enough his magic would act for him. Actually, he should probably search his aunt and uncle's room for the keys first and hope that Uncle Vernon didn't keep his keys with him. Did he really want to leave this much up to chance though? Did he really have a choice? He looked at Hedwig again. No. No, he didn't have a choice.

He decided to go tonight. as soon as he was sure the Dursley's were asleep.

"Ok, girl. We're getting out of here tonight. I'll need you to be quiet though, all right? If they wake up, that's it. We'll never get free." He whispered to Hedwig, confident that she, the smartest owl on the planet, would understand every word he said.

Sure enough, she hooted weakly in agreement. He swallowed at the sound and reached through the bars of the cage to rub her chest softly.

He glanced out the window to see how dark the sky was and settled himself into wait, it was roughly three in the afternoon, it would be a while before they went to bed, he could spend the time trying to figure out how to unlock everything without his wand if he couldn't find the keys.

Or not.

He looked out the window curiously, watching and listening as Dudley and Aunt Petunia left, talking loudly about going to see a movie and get dinner.

Perfect.

They would be gone for hours, and Uncle Vernon wouldn't be back for another two to three hours either. Forget tonight, he could go right now.

"Hedwig, change of plans, we're going now." He said, watching and waiting until they were almost out of sight to ensure that if they forgot something and had to come back, that he would have time. He heard Hedwig hoot behind him, a little more enthusiastically, she wanted out of here just as much as he did.

As soon as he figured they were far enough, he bolted for the door, getting down and starting to wiggle his way through the cat flap. He didn't stop to consider why they were leaving so suddenly, he didn't care. They were gone. He was, however, surprised and a little scared to look up when he was only halfway out and find himself staring at a pair of shoes.

For one panicked moment, he thought Uncle Vernon had come back early and gotten the others out of the house so he could do who knew what with Harry and Hedwig. He snapped out of it enough to realize that the shoes were too small, not Uncle Vernon then at least... He trailed his eyes up the legs to see two goblins standing in front of him, watching him crawl out of his room. One of them still had his hand up, reaching for the padlocks on the door.

"Er," He said, slowly scrambling to pull himself out into the hallway so he could stand up.

"Mr. Potter, we were just coming to retrieve you since you seem to either be ignoring our owls or somehow not getting them. We sincerely hope you haven't been getting them, we don't appreciate our owls being ignored. Although," he said, studying Harry and glancing at the locked room Harry had just escaped, "I don't think that will be a problem somehow." He finished dryly. His hand dropped to his side, apparently deciding that there was no point in unlocking an empty room.

"Come, we have much to discuss." He said, turning to go. But Harry didn't follow.

"Wait!" He burst out. "Can you, um...?" He asked, gesturing towards the door when they glanced back at him. He had decided that, while he was very confused, this worked out perfectly since he was on his way to Gringotts anyway, he would figure out what was going on later.

One of them, Griphook, Harry realized, raised an eyebrow before lifting his hand and causing the locks to fall open. Harry tore the door open and rushed inside, leaving the goblins out in the hallway, looking inside the tiny room, easily becoming enraged at what they saw.

Both at the sight of the painfully thin, caged snowy owl and the condition of the room compared to the rest of the house. Sure, it was clean, but it was also tiny, run-down, and definitely NOT suitable living conditions for the heir to one of their oldest and wealthiest clients. Not to mention the 'savior' of the wizarding world.

Not to mention what they knew of Harry's account activity where his relatives were concerned...

Harry carefully picked up his owls cage, turning back to the door to see the goblins watching. He didn't even have to say anything for Griphook to banish the padlock on Hedwig's cage and gesture for him to follow again. The other goblin looked around the room again before asking Harry where his things were, he was not coming back here. Griphook nodded in agreement.

Harry turned red before he gestured for them to follow him, they were confused when he left his room without gathering his things, that confusion turned to anger when Harry led them to the cupboard under the stairs and quietly told them his stuff was in there.

While they took care of that, he set Hedwig's cage down, heading into the kitchen to grab some meat and an apple. Neither he nor Hedwig had really eaten in a week! And neither of them had really eaten much before that week either.

He went back to the hallway and quietly opened the cage to give Hedwig her food a little bit at a time so she didn't try to go too fast and choke or something. While he did that, he started in on his apple while she ate. The whole time, he avoided looking at the goblins, who had already pulled his trunk and broom out, and were now staring inside in disbelief.

He knew what they were seeing.

An old, dirty crib mattress. A couple of old, broken figurines on the shelf, spiders everywhere. The sign drawn in crayon in childish scribble proudly proclaiming this to be Harry's room.

He finished feeding Hedwig and his apple, giving her the core to munch on, softly telling her to take it slow. He looked up to find the goblins still staring into the cupboard in shocked disbelief.

Harry sighed, he didn't really understand the problem, sure most kids don't grow up in a cupboard, but most kids also aren't the massive burdens on their families that he was. All the cupboard was to him was an embarrassment because it was a reminder of how much of a burden he was.

Reaching out, he gently nudged the goblins away from the door and pushed it closed with a snap. They looked at him startled, they had forgotten where they were for a moment at the blatant sign of abuse and neglect. Harry just went back to his trunk and pulled out his wand, asking as he searched for it where they were going, when and why.

They looked at him for a moment before nodding and informing him they were going to Gringotts. They would either put him up at the Leaky Cauldron or find a classmate for him to stay the rest of the summer with. Griphook also made a mental note to get in touch with Madam Hopkirk, it was clear to him that Harry had not done that hover charm.

His wand had been locked up for gold's sake!

The other goblin, who still had not introduced himself, shrunk Harry's trunk, and did the same with Hedwig's cage after having Harry take her out and watching her hop up onto his shoulder. She swayed a little bit, but otherwise hung on with little to no problem.

"What's your name? I'm sorry, I should have asked earlier. I know Griphook." Harry finally said, after the unnamed goblin handed him a small pouch holding his now shrunk possessions. Everything he owned in this little bag.

The goblins looked surprised before the mystery goblin said, "I apologize, I should have introduced myself, my name is Sharptooth. How is it that you know Griphook?"

"Griphook is the one who took me to my vaults last summer, speaking of which, does this have anything to do with why you were trying to get me alone?" He asked Griphook.

Griphook muttered something about not thinking Harry had noticed that before he and Sharptooth looked at each other. Trying to decide what to say, until Griphook finally announced that this was a conversation best had in the privacy of Gringotts. Harry was confused but agreed.

After all, all Harry had was his trust vault, what on earth could be so important about him to make the goblins so interested that would come get in just because he failed to answer a few owls?

Griphook held out his hand and instructed Harry to give Hedwig to Sharptooth, "Sharptooth will take her to our Creatures Healer, she looks like she could use a few Nutrient Potions."

Harry agreed immediately.

He knew that they had to have something for animals in the magical world, they weren't that backwards after all.

"We will also be getting you to our Healers after our talk." Griphook warned. Harry grimaced but quickly nodded after Hedwig gave him a sharp nip to the ear.

Harry muttered something about traitors when Griphook and Sharptooth chuckled at the owl.

The goblins watched in amusement as Hedwig preened smugly under Harry's betrayed, yet fond look. These two had a true wizard-familiar bond. Something very rare anymore as few wizards saw their owls and other pets as anything other than animals.

Griphook and Sharptooth took their charges and apparated out, seconds before Dumbledore rushed in to find out who dared to go anywhere near his weapon. He was fully prepared to obliviate whoever he needed to, only to find nobody.

The Potter brat was gone, his magical signature was gone, he missed them by seconds.


	2. Chapter 2

_Griphook and Sharptooth took their charges and apparated out, seconds before Dumbledore rushed in to find out who dared to go anywhere near his weapon. He was fully prepared to obliviate whoever he needed to, only to find nobody._

 _The Potter brat was gone, his magical signature was gone, he missed them by seconds._

Dumbledore returned to his office fuming. Who had his weapon? Why did they take him, how did they even find him?

At the last question he paused, then cursed. They must have found out about the warning from the ministry and found him that way. He knew he should have intervened the moment the wards alerted him to another magical on the street, but was just a house-elf. Those things were useless, barely good for the services they provided to wizardkind.

Now the useless thing caused the brats address to finally go on file with the ministry, in the Underage Magic office no less! He couldn't go and erase it, too long had passed, and Madam Hopkirk never exactly agreed with how he involved himself with the students when school wasn't in session, she seemed to feel that his students lives were none of his business outside the castle walls. Ridiculous! He bet she wouldn't be saying that if she knew how many abuse cases Severus constantly brought to his attention, not that it mattered.

It all fit into his plans anyway to make students feel like he was the only one that cared. It's not like Severus did anything about those students. He just kept telling Albus about it and then leaving him to deal with it.

He checked the device tied to the tracking charms he had on the brat. According to it, the brat didn't exist.

He cursed, hopefully whoever had the brat was firmly on his side and wouldn't tell him anything that he had purposefully kept from him. Hopefully whoever it was wouldn't find and undo the charms he had on the boy. It had been very difficult getting all the heirs to the Potter Alliance to leave the brat alone, to convince them that he wasn't interested. He couldn't risk the brat turning against him or learning of the extent of his power. He would see how things stood when the brat returned to school. If he didn't come on the train, then obviously he would have to search for him.

If the brat showed the slightest doubts that Dumbledore was anything less than a grandfatherly old man, he would have to take measures to ensure his obedience.

He cursed again before floo-calling Severus to brew the needed potions. It never hurt to have them ready.

* * *

The only thing keeping Harry on his feet was Griphook's hand on his arm, keeping him steady.

Sharptooth was already heading down a side-hallway with Hedwig perched on his shoulder. Hedwig looked back and hooted reassuringly when she caught Harry looking. Harry only had a moment longer to stare after them before he was tugged down the opposite hallway.

"Is she going to be ok?" He asked Griphook. Griphook smiled reassuringly.

Or rather, what could pass for reassuring on a goblin.

"She'll be fine. She just needs a few nutrient potions and maybe be checked for any blocks or charms that don't belong."

"Charms and blocks?"

"She may be an owl, but she is a wizarding owl. I'm sure you got a book on owl care when you got her?" He waited for Harry's nod before continuing. "Then you know that wizarding owls have magic cores just like all magical creatures, small though it is. Wizarding owls can also develop what we call a Familiars bond with their wizard if they are well cared for and there is mutual affection on both sides. I can explain more later if Sharpaxe doesn't do it first. Now, it is possible for a wizard to block an owls ability to form this bond. You and Hedwig are already showing signs of having the bond, so I don't think you have to worry about that, but it never hurts to check. As for charms... you are a very famous wizard Mr. Potter. One with just as many enemies as you do adoring fans. As your owl, Hedwig is also very famous. Who knows what kind of charms both your fans and enemies have put on her without either of you knowing? Especially with her living in the Owlery at Hogwarts, that's not exactly a private area." He explained. "And if everything else I suspect is true, then..."

He trailed off as they reached the office he wanted.

The door was a rich mahogany with a brass nameplate proclaiming this to be the office of Sharpaxe, the Potter account manager. Harry blinked, he had an account manager? For his measly school vault?

Griphook grinned at his expression before knocking and hearing a sharp 'enter!'

He opened the door and gently pushed Harry in before he entered himself, quickly explaining to Sharpaxe in Gobbledygook that Harry had not been receiving their owls, his own was currently being seen by the Creatures Healer, and that he would have a new living situation for the rest of the summer figured out before they were done with their meeting and Healer visit.

Sharpaxe gave him a look at that before turning to study Harry, who noticeably fidgeted under his eye. Apparently Sharpaxe agreed with Griphook because he looked angry before he nodded and told Griphook that his father wanted to see him when he got back.

Griphook nodded before heading for the door, pausing before he left to remind both of them that Sharptooth would be be back with Harry's familiar sometime in the next hour or two, depending on if they found anything.

Sharpaxe looked interested hearing that Harry had a familiar bond with his owl. Those were rare anymore as most wizards thought themselves as far too above anything not human to be worth caring about. House-elves were just servants, owls were just for delivering post, goblins were only good for counting money, etc. The fact that somebody as famous as Harry Potter was wasn't like that, was good news to him.

Sharpaxe was friendly with and had a great respect for James and Lily Potter, and the Potter family had a long history of standing up for Magical Creature rights and having good relations with the various communities. They were considered good friends to the Goblin nation. It was good that the last Potter looked like he would be the same. It didn't hurt that it made his job easier when the client was respectful and actually let him do his job.

Honestly, he never understood why some wizards bothered to hire goblin account managers if they didn't even trust that they could do their jobs, what was the point if they kept trying to do it themselves?

After bowing Griphook out of the room, Sharpaxe turned to the twelve year old standing by the door nervously, unsure of what to do now that Griphook was gone. Sharpaxe supposed the boy had been somewhat comfortable with Griphook, since Griphook had been the one to take Harry to his school vault last year on Ragnok's order. He wouldn't tell Harry this, but it wasn't exactly common for the Prince of the Goblin Nation to drive the carts or to be sent to retrieve a client if something was wrong and they couldn't get a hold of them.

He wouldn't be the one to tell him, Harry would find out some day once he was older and started taking over more and more of his duties as Lord Potter.

"Sit, Mr. Potter." Sharpaxe finally said. He didn't like how thin Harry was, right now he couldn't help but compare this wary pre-teen with the happy-go-lucky child he used to see happily wandering this very office or playing with his own grandchildren while he discussed business with the father. He would find out who hurt this boy, and they would suffer, painfully.

Once Harry sat, he continued, "What do you know of your family and finances, Mr. Potter?"

"Call me Harry," Harry muttered, "Um, I know that my parents names were James and Lily, they were Head Boy and Girl, dad was the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, they were killed by Voldemort, and I have the one vault that I visited last year." Harry said, feeling like the goblin was not going to like how little he knew. It wasn't like he hadn't tried to find out, but whenever he asked anybody, all they said was how much Harry looked like his dad while he had his mothers eyes. It was like somebody reprogrammed them or something.

Sharpaxe froze.

Why did nobody tell him anything? Why did nobody try to send him an owl when he started school, Lily was well liked and had many friends at Hogwarts, James too was popular and had been one of the best fighters in the Auror department before going into hiding. Surely not all of them simply forgot about their friends son?

What about Severus Snape? He was one of this boys godfathers, sharing the responsibility with Sirius Black, who Sharpaxe had been trying to get out of Azkaban for the past ten years. Well, Snape would be here in a little bit, he should actually be here already, Dumbledore must be being difficult today. Actually, that was probably exactly why Severus hadn't said anything, he was still trying to stay in Dumbledore's good graces.

Friends close and enemies closer, and all that.

"Nobody told you anything about the Potter family? Your families businesses, the family fortune, your duties as Lord of a Most Ancient and Noble House? Your duty to the Potter Alliance in the Wizengamot?" He sighed at Harry's confused look. Well, Griphook would certainly not be lacking in time to find Harry somewhere to stay for the summer. They would just send the boy to live with Snape, but Snape was being watched too closely by Dumbledore.

"About that alliance you mentioned, would that be the same thing some of the other students were trying to talk to me about at the beginning of the year? They mentioned something about it, they seemed kind of offended when I didn't know anything about it... I think they thought I was completely brushing them off actually."

Sharpaxe growled as he made a note to get the members of the Potter Alliance in here, it would seem the heirs messed up by assuming and he now needed to run damage control along with Severus, and Sirius if he could ever get the Ministry to give the poor guy a trial. He really hoped it wasn't already too late, that they hadn't already turned their backs on the Potter heir in anger for a perceived offense.

"Let's start with the Potter fortune... after I'm done telling you what you need to know, we will do an inheritance test, as well as an abilities test, to make sure you don't have any blocks or charms on you that don't belong, much like they are doing with your owl. Harry, your family was easily the most wealthy and influential family in Britain, their businesses were all very successful, your ancestors were smart with their money, leaving plenty for future generations to inherit and add to. Along with that is your Lordship.

The Potters are a Most Ancient and Noble House, one of the oldest, descended from the Peverels and Merlin himself. Literally wizarding royalty. Its rumored that the Gryffindor line merged with yours too at some point. Really, though, that is the extent of my knowledge, the Potter family lineage is one your families most closely guarded secrets for generations, I only know that much because your father felt that I should know at least that much in case something happened to him I would at least be able to warn you before the inheritance test. Another closely guarded secret is the Potter Family magic, we are still trying to find the Potter family Grimoire, it went missing from the vaults shortly after that Halloween, but now that you are here you can magically recall all missing family heirlooms to you.

As the Head of a Most Ancient and Noble House, you have a seat on the Wizengamot, its kind of like the Muggle House of Lords, for that matter you have a seat on that as well."

Harry was gobsmacked. How could his family have been so big name? If they were really so important, then...

"I don't understand. If my family was so important, then why was I just left with the Dursley's? Surely someone in the wizarding world would have taken me in?"

They were interrupted with the door opening as he asked that.

* * *

Severus stormed out of his office after finally getting rid of Dumbledore. The old fool wanted him to brew loyalty, obedience, and compulsion potions for his own godson! Wasn't it bad enough he had to act like he hated everything to do with the boy for the sake of the Death Eaters children? Now the old man wanted him to drug the boy too?!

Even after everything, after all these years of trying to get Albus to tell him where he left Harry so he could go and get his godson, after all these years of trying to get Sirius Black freed from Azkaban, all these years of working with the goblins to block Albus' attempts to get into the Potter family vaults, all these years of searching Dumbledore's office when the old man wasn't around to find the Potter heirlooms that were still missing, now the old man had the gall to demand that he drug his own godson!

Not to mention that he never did find out where he was hiding the invisibility cloak before the old man gave it to the boy. Which only told Severus that Dumbledore was keeping those heirlooms.

Luckily he'd gotten a message from Sharpaxe earlier saying that they found out where Harry was and were going to go get him. They wanted him to come by. He would be able to both explain his behavior the past school year to his godson, tell him everything about his parents, especially his wonderful, sweet, mother. And, Harry would be able to recall his family heirlooms from where ever Dumbledore was hiding them, or if they were sold, they would still come back.

He still remembered the day a couple of years after that horrible Halloween when he was summoned by Sharpaxe shortly after the goblin did his annual audits and run-through's on the Potter vaults. Of course, he worked the accounts daily to make sure everything was as it should be, but he only physically walked through the vaults every couple of years to make sure they were in order. It would just take too long to do any more often than that, that was how extensive the Potter Family Vaults were.

Sharpaxe summoned him to his office to tell him that several priceless family heirlooms and the Potter Grimoire were gone. He even showed Severus the copy of the will that he had found in the vaults, the will proclaiming that Sirius was innocent, Pettigrew was the traitor, not to trust Dumbledore, and that Harry was under no circumstances to go to Petunia. Since then, Sharpaxe worked to find the Potter Heir, tried to get the Wizengamot to listen about Sirius, and Snape tried to find the heirlooms and figure out where Dumbledore had hidden away his godson.

Severus had been overjoyed when the goblins contacted him on Harry's birthday last year to tell him that Harry had been to Gringotts to get money from his school vault, but he was angry when he was told that Hagrid hadn't let go of the boy, literally. What was more, the goblins told him that Harry looked far too small for his age, timid, wary of anything that moved, and was dressed in over-sized rags.

Then the boy had been right there, right in front of him. Sorted into Gryffindor, but that part didn't matter, except for the part where he knew that this would only put him even further into Dumbledore's manipulations. And even farther from his protection, he could only so much to protect the boy without raising suspicions after all, it was well known that Severus favored the Snakes and hated the other houses. Which meant that there was next to nothing he could do for his godson while in school simply because his godson wasn't a Snake, therefore he was expected to do nothing.

He'd seen his godson's eating habits, he hovered over his food like he expected it to be taken away any moment, he ate little, and what he did eat was eaten quickly to minimize the risk of it being taken. If some of the other students yelled or moved to attack, he would make himself as small as possible without being obvious about it, and he was always surprised when a teacher intervened or otherwise came to his defense.

He acted just like some of his snakes did, only he couldn't help Harry like he could them. There was only so much he could do for a student not in his house.

He would have given as many detentions as possible just to get some time alone with his godson so he could explain what was going on, who he really was, that everything was just an act. It hurt, when his godson looked at him the way he did. It hurt, when his godson suspected him of being after the Stone, of being the one to try to kill him during that first game, to overhear his godson calling him an evil bat. He wanted nothing more than to scream that Harry was his godson and he had no choice but to act like that if he wanted to stay in Dumbledore's good graces so he could stay at the school and be there when Harry needed him.

Now, he was walking through the doors of Gringotts, already preparing himself for a long, difficult conversation. He had barely walked through the doors when Griphook ran up to him and asked him to follow him to the Creatures Healer, they found some charms on Harry's familiar.

Walking into the room, he was greeted with the sight of a much too thin owl, she was brought in just in time, another day with no food or attention and she might not have made it. "What did you find?" He asked the goblin in charge.

"She had a block on her core, inhibiting her ability to form a Familiar Bond, the odd part is that Sharptooth tells me that she definitely developed one, so she clearly has a very strong wizard, her core isn't anything to scoff at either. She also had a series of tracking charms on her, at least ten. All of them put in place by different people, and all of them so poorly done that it could have only been a younger student that did it. Those aren't what we were worried about though. We also found a charm on her that we can't identify. So, we have no idea what it does." The Healer explained.

Severus frowned and took out his wand, "May I?" He asked, thanking Merlin that he was known for his study and knowledge of so many different magics, even some stuff the goblins didn't know because they were simply some things that required a wand. Goblin's could do many things, they had amazing magic, but not even they could do everything.

When the Goblin nodded, he started running some diagnostic spells he invented himself, made them especially for detecting the most subtle of magics cast by either Dumbledore or Voldemort themselves, two wizards who were very good at hiding their work.

He frowned. "I know this charm. It's designed to slowly siphon the victims magic. If she were a person, and this charm were on her long enough, she would eventually become a squib. While it 'siphons', it also... cauterizes, I guess... as it goes, making it impossible for the core to recover. As it is, she is an owl, which means that if we had not caught this in time, she would have eventually stopped being a Wizards Owl, and become a regular, everyday owl."

The Goblins in the room stared at him. For a magical creature to lose their magic like that, even just an owl... Somebody just made an enemy of the Goblins.

The bad part was that Griphook had an idea exactly who it was that did this.

"Since you know what this charm is, do you know how to remove it?"

Severus nodded and did it, as soon as he did, it seemed as if Hedwig sighed in relief, like a weight had been taken off her wings. The Goblin nodded before she did another scan to make sure they had everything, then she handed the diagnostics parchment to Severus asking him to give it to Sharpaxe. She then handed him the parchment listing out the instructions for her nutrient potions, how often she had to take them and how, he was also handed the potions themselves.

These ones he couldn't make himself because they were made specific to the Magical Creature in question. Potions for them were much more personalized then potions for people were. Specialized for the species, age, magical core size, and physical size. Therefore these ones were better made on the spot by the Healer who did the diagnoses.

Severus nodded to the Healer before Griphook led him out and towards Sharpaxe's office, where Harry was.

Once they got there, he opened the door just in time to hear Harry ask, "If my family was so important, then why was I just left with the Dursley's? Surely someone in the wizarding world would have taken me in?"

* * *

After he asked his question, he was surprised to hear a familiar silky voice say, "Because Dumbledore ensured nobody said anything through a combination of persuading them that you didn't want to know, and threatening their jobs if they said anything."

He whipped around to see Professor Snape standing in the doorway, Hedwig perched on his shoulder, although once she saw him, she hooted happily and flew down to his lap instead.

Although, she felt different... it was like he could feel her magic reaching for him, mingling with hers.

Harry decided to worry about that later, right now he had a dungeon bat to figure out.

"What are you doing here?!" He yelled. He cradled Hedwig to himself protectively.

"Harry, calm down, there are a few things going on that you don't know. Wait, and let us explain." Sharpaxe said.

Harry paused and looked back at Snape. He noticed some kind of emotion on the Potions Master's face before it was hidden. Cautiously, he nodded and asked what the Healer said about Hedwig. He could have sworn he saw Snape's mouth twitch upwards. But that had to have been his imagination.

The Bat of the Dungeons did not smile.

"Here are the nutrient potions for her, and here are the instructions, make sure you follow them, as for the charms and blocks they found..." He handed the list to Sharpaxe, who looked angry when he read about the charm affecting her core. "There was a series of poorly done tracking spells, most likely placed by dunderheads, and another charm designed to, in essence, turn her into a squib over time."

Harry stared at him in horror even as his arms tightened around Hedwig protectively.

"There was also a block on her Familiar Bond, although considering how magically powerful you both are, I'm not surprised that a Bond developed anyway. Remind one of us to explain what exactly that Bond entails later."

Harry frowned. "Is that why I can feel her magic reaching, mingling with mine? Because that block was removed?"

Both of them looked shocked for a moment before Sharpaxe nodded. If Harry had been watching, he would have seen the proud look cross Snape's face. But Harry didn't notice, he was focusing on the potions instructions and Hedwig.

"I will find some books detailing what exactly a Familiar bond entails. It is slightly different for everybody as much of it also depends on the power levels of the wizard and creature in question. But that is perfectly normal in all circumstances." Sharpaxe said.

"Now, for explanations. Severus, I've explained a little about who the Potters were, a little of his lineage, and I've mentioned the fortune." Snape nodded, "Then I suppose the next bit falls to me."

"When you were born, Harry, your parents couldn't agree on who to be your godfather. Me, or Sirius Black. They just couldn't agree, I was your mother's best friend while Sirius was James. In the end, they compromised, and made both of us your godfathers." When Harry frowned, and opened his mouth to say something, Sharpaxe help up a hand, telling him to wait.

"After that night, I tried to find you. Dumbledore blocked me at every turn. He refused to tell me where you were, he didn't even put your address on file with the Ministry like he was supposed to by law, so I couldn't go there to find anything. Then, finally, you were starting school. I would be able to sneak a peek at your school letter, only he blocked me again. He had me brewing so many potions for him that I was practically locked in the lab, only without the door being locked, and he even checked on how I was doing every hour or so. He kept me there until the letters went out, I learned later from Minerva that she was sending out letters every day to you, I would have just asked her, but she's sworn to secrecy on the matter of where you live, even who its with.

During the year, I had to act like I did because Dumbledore forced me to. He knows Voldemort will return one day, he refuses to tell me how, but he knows, and when that happens, he expects to behave and go back to him like a good little spy. And that can't happen if the other Death Eaters think you trust me enough for you to just come anywhere with me, and believe me, they would expect me to deliver you up on a silver platter if they knew you were my godson, either so that He can Mark you, or kill you. If I don't, I would be killed and unable to protect you.

What I haven't told him, is that if he rises again, I'm taking you and getting you out of England. I don't care what he says about a Prophecy." Snape muttered, not really intending to say that out loud. Louder, he continued, "I don't care what that old man has planned, he'll just have to plan without you. I'm not going back to the Dark Lord. However, I still had to act like that to keep him happy. Otherwise, I would have been fired and sharing a cell with Sirius in Azkaban faster than any of us could blink."

Harry blinked. "What's Azkaban? Why would the Headmaster be sending one of his teachers there? And what did you mean by 'other' Death Eaters? What's a Death Eater?"

It was Snape's turn to blink. The kid kind of sounded like Miss Granger when she got on a roll. "Azkaban is the Wizarding Prison. Guarded by Dementors, horrible creatures, pray you never meet them. They make that place virtually the worse place on earth."

"You didn't answer my other questions." Harry said flatly, staring at him.

Snape grimaced, "We can discuss my past later, I promise you will hear the full story eventually. As for the Headmaster, I think that discussion is better had later on as well, once some things come to light. And Death Eaters are the Dar-Voldemort's faithful followers."

Harry stared at him for another moment before nodding slowly, 'so, does that mean Snape was one of Voldemort's followers? Weren't they supposed to be some of the worst of the worst?' He decided not to say anything yet when he noticed Snape watching him carefully. "So, your telling me I have two godfathers, one of which is you, with a sketchy history, and the other one is, currently in prison." They nodded and made a gesture that said, 'pretty much.' "And you had to act like you hated me for a year so the Headmaster wouldn't put you in there with the other one." They both nodded again.

"Why is Sirius in prison anyway?"

Sharpaxe and Snape looked at each other and had a silent debate on who would be the one to tell him. Snape lost. He explained, what was thought to have happened and what really happened. How they discovered the deceptions when Sharpaxe unearthed the Potter Wills while he was making a walk-through of the Potter family vaults and taking inventory.

At this point, Sharpaxe jumped in. "I've been trying to get the Wizengamot to listen, to let me present the Wills as evidence to give Mr. Black the trial he never received and get him freed, get the Wizengamot to force Dumbledore to tell them where you were so we could at the very least make sure you were with the people your parents wanted you to be with, but... apparently not even being the account manager to a family like the Potters for as long as I have been is enough to make them see past the fact that I'm not human." He said bitterly. He wished all wizards could be like the Potters had always been through generations. "They, and by they I really mean Dumbledore, has them collared and leashed. They refuse to go against him, and Dumbledore has them all believing you to be happy where you were, he claims to have spoken with you on the matter and that you claim to want nothing to do with any of it. He even quoted you to have said, 'let the past stay in the past.'"

"WHAT!? But I never said any of that! We've never spoken about any of this, I've only had two conversations with him at school in my life!" Harry was really confused, why were they saying the Headmaster lied about this? What business was it of the Headmasters?

"We know, Harry, but right now you need to calm down." Snape said, laying a hand on Harry's shoulder and startling him out of his thoughts, looking around he saw that cabinets were starting to rattle and more lightweight stuff was actually starting to fly around. "Breathe, in... out, in... out, that's it." Snape encouraged Harry to keep breathing and generally trying to calm down until everything in the office stayed still and on the ground for longer than a few minutes. It was then that Harry's stomach made itself known.

Harry was startled, he hadn't heard his stomach growl in a while, why did it keep making those weird noises? He just frowned down at it, "Those noises are really annoying," he muttered.

Snape looked worried when he heard that, did Harry not know that those sounds meant he needed food? Sharpaxe heard the sounds and ordered food after he realized that he had Harry sitting here talking when he probably hadn't eaten in awhile.

Without a word, he slid the plate of food to Harry after it appeared, and when Harry took it he sub-consciously turned his body so that if Snape wanted to reach for it, he would have to reach around and Harry would have a fairly easier time of getting away. Snape noticed and frowned again, there was more of that behavior he had noticed during the school year. The two let Harry eat while talked quietly about random things, although they both noticed Harry sharing with Hedwig.

When Harry finished, leaving about half his food on the plate, "You said earlier that I have a seat on the Wizengamot?" They nodded. "Would they listen if I went in? Personally? If I went in to speak?"

"They might... it would be risky and draw unwanted attention from Dumbledore, but its worth a try."

Snape nodded. "It would have to be done at a time when Dumbledore is away at the ICW, the reason I was late coming here was because the crazy old man wants me to brew loyalty, obedience, and compulsion potions to give Harry. Apparently he has wards around the whole street to tell him if anyone magical is around. He's worried that Harry won't return to school completely loyal to him. He's not worried about you returning, if you don't come on the train he's planning on hunting you down, so you would eventually end up back at Hogwarts anyway."

Harry's eyes were wide. He couldn't believe it, he was having a very hard time believing that Dumbledore was capable of any of this, sure he saw through his grandfatherly image right away, but he still had a hard time believing Dumbledore to be capable of any of this. Hedwig stretched up her head so she could nip at his cheek and rub her feathered head under his chin, hooting softly.

Sharpaxe was angry. His eyes narrowed. "I think, then, that it is time for the inheritance test. Because, I think the Black Heir ring could solve that, but I'm not sure if Mr. Black got around to making Harry his heir before that Halloween, so I don't know if you have it. I believe that if you don't have it, then it goes to Draco Malfoy."

"I think making Harry his magical heir was practically the first thing Sirius did after Harry was born. Well, after forcing both James and Lily to get some rest, which was basically his way of getting his new godson to himself for a few hours." Snape smirked at the memory.

"Yes, well, it never hurts to check and make sure..." As he spoke, he pulled out a bowl and silver dagger. The bowl had runes carved into the sides on both the inside and outside, Harry could feel magic coming from it. "I pulled this out of your family vault when Griphook told me he was going to go get you. Its the Potter Family ceremonial bowl and dagger. All you have to do, is prick a finger, and drip some blood into this potion." He held up a glowing, blue vial. "It will be poured into the bowl and allowed to sit for a while, then I will add a specially treated parchment to soak it up. While that sits, we will do the abilities test."

Harry nodded and picked up the dagger and pricking his finger, holding it so the blood dripped into the vial, turning the potion a glowing purple. Sharpaxe shook it a bit before pouring it out into the bowl, where the runes around the edges started to glow.

"Wow, that feels..." Harry muttered, feeling the magic that was starting to pour from the bowl.

"You can feel the magic?" Snape asked.

"Yeah, can't you?" Harry asked, confused. Snape just shook his head. Harry looked even more confused now, before Sharpaxe directed his attention to the piece of parchment he brought out for the abilities test.

"Now, this has been specially treated with a potion beforehand, just allow some blood to drip onto the center of the parchment." Harry did as asked, holding his already sliced finger over it and letting the blood fall. After a few drips, Snape pulled his hand back and finally healed the wound now that he wasn't going to need to slice his hand open again.

After a few moments, words formed. When they were done, Sharpaxe put the other parchment into the other bowl.

 **Harold James Potter**

 **Abilities**

 **Core: 80% blocked**

 **Animagus: blocked**

 **Occlumency: blocked**

 **Legilimency: blocked**

 **Parseltongue: partially blocked**

 **Familiar: wizard blocked, familiar unblocked**

 **Wandless: blocked**

 **Photographic memory: partially blocked**

 **Charms**

 **Tracking charms: keyed to Albus Dumbledore**

 **Loyalty charm: keyed to Albus Dumbledore**

 **Compulsion charm: keyed to Albus Dumbledore**

 **Owl redirect charm: exception of Hogwarts and familiar**

 **Obliviations**

 **Aversion charm: aversion to anything Slytherin and studying**

 **Potions**

 **Magic suppressants**

 **Other**

 **Horcrux: Tom Marvolo Riddle**

Sharpaxe read the parchment, and immediately summoned a goblin, barking at him to get the ritual room ready and to request Griphook's presence. He handed the parchment to Snape. The presence of the soul piece was concerning, and could require the input of the king. The goblins didn't want Voldemort coming back anymore than the wizards did, although the goblins honestly didn't know who did more damage to their nation, him or Dumbledore. At least Voldemort was honest with Britain about his what he wanted.

"Can you get rid of the Horcrux?" Snape asked, he sounded worried. "I know you can undo the rest of this."

"Yes, we could even use it to find any others out there. The fact that it is in Harry is concerning... the only way I can think of for the soul fragment to be there is if it broke off that Halloween, which could only happen if the soul itself was already severely weakened and fragmented." Sharpaxe said, trying to stay calm so they didn't scare Harry. "As soon as Griphook gets here, I can request an audience with King Ragnok, he will want to know about the Horcrux."

"What's a Horcrux?" Harry asked, slightly worried by the fact that even Snape sounded worried by it. "And why would Dumbledore do all of this?"

Snape sighed and pushed a hand through his hair, Harry absently noted that it wasn't greasy. "A Horcrux, Harry, is a piece of a person's soul, placed in an object. This is the very Blackest of magic's, a Horcrux is made through a ritual following a premeditated murder of an innocent, of which the Dark Lord killed many in his rise to power." Harry looked at him in horror, before reaching up and fingering his scar.

"Don't worry, we can remove it." Sharpaxe said before he could panic. "We can remove all of these blocks, as for why Dumbledore would do all of this, he is not the kind of man everyone thinks he is. I have been doing everything I can to keep him out of your vaults for the past almost ten years, unfortunately it was a couple of years before I realized he was getting in them, he had already stolen quite a few artifacts out of them by the time I knew. That invisibility cloak you have, the Family Grimoire, several priceless artifacts, family jewelry... he has stolen it all. Money. Since I found out about his thefts, I have been taking the money out of his own vaults and telling him that it is from yours, I have been working with his own account manager on this seeing as how we do not tolerate theft, unfortunately there was nothing we could do about the heirlooms and artifacts without you here, although Severus has been searching his office every chance he gets."

"My cloak? But, I got that for Christmas, the note said that my father left that with the sender, in case something happened to him." Harry said.

"No, I'm afraid that was a lie. Your father placed that cloak in the family vaults for safe keeping before they went into hiding. It was then stolen out of the vault later on by Dumbledore and re-gifted to you as a Christmas present in an attempt to further gain your trust." Sharpaxe said. He glanced at the Inheritance potion, it wasn't quite ready. "Now, as the Heir to and the last living Potter, you can summon all the Potter heirlooms and artifacts to you magically. This is done through Blood Magic, performed on all priceless Potter treasures centuries ago by your ancestors, the secret of which is in the Potter Grimoire. Luckily for you, Harry, the Potter Grimoire also happens to be protected by Blood Magic, so that only one with Potter blood can open it, otherwise all your family secrets would be Dumbledores. That would be bad, seeing as your family had some very powerful magic at their disposal."

Harry nodded slowly, then looked at Hedwig, who hooted in approval. Snape smiled before glancing down at the parchment again. 'If the bond was blocked both ways, and yet they both still clearly showed signs of it... they have a very powerful bond indeed if it can reach past Dumbledore's block.' The very thought made him proud.

"How do I summon them?" Harry asked.

Sharpaxe grinned, already wishing he could be there when Dumbledore realized all his hard-stolen items were gone. "Here's what you do..."

* * *

Dumbledore was making another attempt at opening the Potter Family Grimoire, he thought he almost had it figured out, when it suddenly vanished from his hands.

He froze, then jumped out of his chair to check on the other items, only to find them gone. All the Potter artifacts and heirlooms he worked so hard to earn (stole them really, but that was hard work!) were gone. All the pieces of jewelry he had yet to sell, gone. He could only imagine that those pieces he sold were now gone from their new owners as well.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Gobbledygook_**

* * *

 _Dumbledore was making another attempt at opening the Potter Family Grimiore, he thought he almost had it figured out, when it suddenly vanished from his hands._

 _He froze, then jumped out of his chair to check on the other items, only to find them gone. All the Potter artifacts and heirlooms he worked so hard to earn (stole them really, but that was hard work!) were gone. All the pieces of jewelry he had yet to sell, gone. He could only imagine that those pieces he sold were now gone from their new owners as well._

* * *

Sharpaxe and Snape watched in amusement as Harry eagerly opened the Grimiore that had just appeared in front of him, on top of the pile of now reclaimed family heirlooms and artifacts. Sharpaxe shook his head, picking up a necklace from the pile, noting that it was still warm.

At the wedding between the house of Zabini and some nameless, soon-to-be-dead rich man...

Mrs. Zabini, soon to be married again, was walking to the alter when her neck suddenly felt lighter than before. Reaching up, she screamed as she noticed that her necklace was gone. The guests went in a panic. It would take them over an hour of searching the guests and countless summoning charms before she would accept that the priceless necklace was no longer in the area and let the wedding continue. The whole time, her son, Blaise Zabini, a soon to be second year at Hogwarts, sat in the background looking bored but really trying not to laugh.

Back at Gringotts in Sharpaxe's office...

Snape was watching Harry pour over the thick tome and wondering why he never saw this kind of behavior at school, even with the aversion charm, it was clear that Harry had a love for books. Even Hedwig looked like she was studying the pages along with her wizard.

Sharpaxe cleared his throat, getting Harry's attention on the fifth try. He reluctantly tore his gaze away from the page he was reading, then reluctantly closed the book when Snape conjured and handed him a beautiful book mark that was embossed with his initials in gold stitching on an emerald green backing, decorated with tiny golden snitches. Well, Snape actually summoned it from his pocket, he had it made months ago for Christmas, but Dumbledore apparently searched Harry's presents and took his out of the pile. Snape found it when he searched the Headmaster's office shortly after.

Snape shook his head at his reluctance to put the book down, he couldn't decide who Harry reminded him more of in that moment, Lily or his friend Miss Granger.

Sharpaxe wordlessly handed over the parchment with Harry's inheritance on it without looking. As curious as he was, the contents on that parchment were considered a family secret, and he wasn't going to betray the trust of one of the most respected families the goblins worked with by betraying the trust placed in him generations ago by looking without permission.

Harry took it curiously, at the same time Griphook came in and was handed the list of abilities and blocks Harry had on his core.

 ** _"I figured that our King would want to know about this."_** He said, pointing at the bottom of the parchment, where it listed the Horcrux of Tom Riddle.

Griphook's face darkened, _**"I will let him know. The ritual chamber is ready when you are, and I have spoken with Madam Longbottom about Mr. Potter staying with her for the rest of the summer, and Madam Hopkirk about that warning he got a couple of weeks ago. It was a house-elf that cast the magic, so he should not have that on his record."**_ Sharpaxe shivered at the look on his face, several goblins were going to need to be carried by the Healers out of the training rooms tonight.

 _ **"Thank you, my Prince. I will bring him straight to the ritual chamber before we visit the Healer. I have a feeling he will be unconscious for a while after the rituals, the Healers can run their scans during that time."** _ Sharpaxe said, bowing a little. Griphook nodded and went out the door, Snape standing in a half-bow as he went past.

The whole exchange went unnoticed by Harry, he was too busy staring at the parchment detailing his heritage. His eyes were wide as he tried to process.

 **Harold James Potter-Black**

 **Father: James Charlus Potter**

 **Mother: Lily Elaine Evans**

 **Father: Sirius Orion Black (Blood adoption)**

 **Godfather: Severus Tobias Prince-Snape**

 **Godmother: Alice Louis Longbottom**

 **Heir to (Paternal): Potter (5)**

 **Gryffindor (5)**

 **Ravenclaw (5)**

 **Merlin (7)**

 **Peverell (4)**

 **Pendragon (7)**

 **Heir by right of Conquest: Slytherin (5)**

 **Heir to (Adopted): Black (4)**

 **Le Fay (6)**

 **Ravenswood (4)**

Wordlessly, he handed it to Snape, not noticing Sharpaxe pulling several rings out of the bowl and setting them on the desk between them, making sure he couldn't see the coat of arms on them. Harry just sat there, absently petting Hedwig and staring at Snape as the man studied what was apparently supposed to be a closely guarded secret. He couldn't believe he was trusting his most hated professor with this, but... was he really the most hated if it was the result of a charm?

If his parents trusted Snape with his care, then surely he could trust the man with this?

Snape basked in the glow of Harry trusting him for a moment before he glanced up and told Sharpaxe that Harry had the Black heirship, among others. He was impressed, he had always thought James Potter was arrogant and privileged, he never knew before now just how privileged. The man was practically royalty, with a lineage like this. He turned to Harry.

"This number beside the houses indicates how many votes on the Wizengamot you have for that house. Each house has its own seat, although Potter is the only one of these houses that also has a seat on the Muggle House of Lords. When you claim the Potter seat, these others will automatically come with it, with the exception of the ones you will inherit from Sirius, he will be Lord Black, and Le Fay and Ravenswood will go with his seat if we can ever get him out of Azkaban. These all together will give you 38 votes, with Sirius just getting the 14. I could have sworn the Black seat had an extra vote though... I must be mistaken, either that or the Ministry seized one of them before the other Houses could stop them." Snape explained to Harry.

Sharpaxe nodded in satisfaction hearing that Harry did indeed have the Black heirship. And, of course his other Lordships were his to claim once he turned 15, until then, he could wear the heir rings. He didn't know what they all were, like Severus said, those votes all automatically became Potter votes, everyone in the Wizengamot knew the Potters had 38 votes, they literally had the most, that was how important they were. That was why the Potters liked to stay neutral politically, having allies on both sides of the court. It was rare that any law they decided not to support went through, or any law they were against got shot down.

Harry nodded, then he frowned, "Who is using my votes for me while I'm in absentia? Do they do that in the Wizarding world?"

Sharpaxe nodded, "Yes, it's called appointing a proxy. I believe the proxy for you is Dumbledore. After your parents death, he sealed their wills, then declared himself to be your magical guardian and the proxy for your seats. In recent years he has started to claim that he has been teaching you to take them, that he has been speaking with you about what you want."

"I never spoke to him!" Harry was still having a very hard time believing all this of Dumbledore, although now he knew that to be the loyalty charms talking.

"We know, Harry. Now that you are here, and aware, we can fix this. Most of the laws Dumbledore has forced through using your considerable votes, are laws that would have your ancestors rolling in their graves. Your family has a long history of standing up for Creature Rights. Giving them their freedom, staying out of their territory, respect their wishes, abilities, customs, and privacy. Let them work, get married, etc. Dumbledore has pushed through more and more restrictive laws, taking over more and more of our territories, trampling all over our customs, giving us no privacy or chance to work and live."

Harry frowned, "Is there any way of repealing those laws?"

Sharpaxe grinned. "If we can get Dumbledore discredited enough, we can call every law he has ever passed, proposed, or supported into question. Some of them might be good. Others... not so much." He frowned then. "Of course, we will still have to deal with Umbridge."

Snape growled at the mention of that woman. Although, he supposed that calling her a woman was an insult to women everywhere.

Sharpaxe hummed, "The next Wizengamot session is in two weeks. We can meet again a few days before that to plan and prepare you for some of what to expect. We should probably enlist the aid of Madam Longbottom and possibly Madam Bones as well, that way you have some back-up... Madam Bones is the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. That's our police force. And Griphook tells me that he spoke with Madam Longbottom about you staying with her and Heir Neville Longbottom for the remainder of the summer. I believe you go to school with Mr. Longbottom?"

Harry perked up a bit, "Yup, we share a dorm!" He said happily. He may not have spoken to Neville much, but he liked the quiet boy, he reminded him somewhat of himself sometimes with how he talked about his relatives. He still felt bad about Hermione cursing him towards the end of the year. Then he frowned, "Didn't that thing say my godmother was Alice Longbottom?" Snape nodded slowly.

"She is Mr. Longbottom's mother" He said somewhat reluctantly.

"Ok, I get why you and Sirius, but why...?"

"She and her husband Frank were... badly cursed, shortly after that Halloween. They are now both permanent residents of St. Mungo's Hospital." Snape said quietly. Harry's eyes widened and his lips parted in a silent, 'Oh.'

Sharpaxe nodded once before clapping his hands together, "Now then!" he said, bringing the wizards attention back to him and off that depressing topic. The Longbottoms were another family that were friendly with the goblins. "Here," he gestured to the rings on the table, "Are your heir rings. When you turn 15, you can come and... exchange, I suppose you could say, them for your Lordship rings. Once you put them on, the main rings, in this case the Potter and Black rings, will be the ones to show, the houses that come with those two will merge with their respective 'Head House'. Unless, of course, you choose to show one ring, then you must simply will that ring to appear." Seeing that Harry looked confused, he grinned and said he would see in a few moments.

Snape shook his head at the goblin in amusement before picking up the Potter ring. "In the event that you for some insane reason take your rings off, then when you put them back on, the Potter ring always goes on first, then this one," he said, picking up the Pendragon ring, "Then the Merlin, then Peverell, then the others." He explained. "Your Potter rings will go on the left ring finger because they are the House you were born to, and the Black ones will go on your right middle finger. This is also because the Head of the Black family is still alive and that is the family you were adopted into, although your grandmother was a Black. Remind me to speak with Augusta Longbottom about going over some basic etiquette later on. Here you go." He finished, handing Harry each ring and watching him put them on.

Harry was amazed as each ring merged with each other after sizing themselves to fit his smaller fingers. In the end, leaving just the Potter ring visible. After those were on, he was handed the three from the Black family. Then Snape had him will the Merlin ring into sight, and the Potter ring shimmered out of view to be replaced with that one, Snape smiled slightly at the look on his face and soft exclamation of how much he loved magic before having him bring the Potter ring back out.

He couldn't help but notice that Sharpaxe relaxed slightly when the Black ring was on. When he asked, Sharpaxe grinned and said he was just getting to that bit.

"You see, Harry, the Most Ancient and Noble Houses were rather, shall we say paranoid? about being controlled and as a result potentially giving away their heritage while under the influence of those controlling them. Or, even of simply giving away their secrets while they were controlled. They were especially paranoid when it came to the safety and well-being of the Heir and Lord, mostly the Heir though since the Lords were fully grown and well trained. You see, each family had their own unique ways of protecting their secrets, but they were each similar to how they protected their Heirs and Lords. Each of those rings you are now wearing is imbued with enchantments protecting the wearing to a certain degree from different elements, depending on the family and their particular talents or history.

The Merlin ring, for example protects from invasions to the mind to a certain degree from what I remember, although it would still be best if you learn the skill yourself. The Potter ring protects against minor to moderate hexes and curses, but the reason I was concerned about whether or not you had the Black ring in light of Severus here being asked to brew controlling potions, is that the Black ring is designed to protect against any substance used to control how you think. From love potions, to those compulsion potions. Unfortunately, it doesn't get rid of the magical suppressants you're already on. Do you understand?" He asked. Harry nodded with wide eyes, although the adults could see the relief in his eyes.

Sharpaxe clapped his hands together again. "Now, I think it best we leave going over your assets and contents of your vaults for a later date, Harry. I feel I've given you quite enough to think about for now. And we really must get you down to the ritual chambers, and then the Healers." He turned to Severus. "Bring him back here after the Healers release him though. In the meantime, I will check these," he gestured to the pile of heirlooms, "For any magical tampering before returning them to the correct vaults."

Harry grabbed the Grimiore as he got up to leave and spent a few moments trying to fit it into the pouch he was given with his school stuff in it before an amused Sharpaxe took pity on him and cast an expansion charm on the pouch, letting the entrance expand to fit the book and making the bag more than big enough for the book. Neither adult could help but compare his apparent love for reading with Lily's, according to James, she had reacted similarly when first shown the Grimoire after she married James. He had joked that it seemed in that moment that she married him for the Potter Library and magics.

As a goblin stepped in to lead them down to the ritual room, Harry turned back to Sharpaxe, "Would it be possible for me to get some money out of my vaults before I leave for the Longbottom's? All I have to wear are my school uniform and this." He said in distaste as he plucked at his over-sized shirt.

Sharpaxe smiled and said that that was part of what they needed to talk about before they left.

* * *

Shortly after Harry and Severus left for the ritual rooms, Sharpaxe was sipping at a large goblin-made brandy. He normally didn't drink while in the office, but it had been a difficult conversation that should never have had to happen. He couldn't shake the feeling that James and Lily would skin him alive before feeding him to Remus Lupin on the full moon if they knew it had taken him so long to find their son.

He had just finished his glass and reached for the first of the heirlooms to check when the door opened to reveal King Ragnok and Griphook.

He jumped to his feet and bowed so fast, he accidentally knocked the brandy glass to the ground, where it shattered. Everyone in the room winced, that had been a work of art, hand crafted by his father, laced with rose-quartz of the finest quality.

 _ **"Rise, and tell me of the Potter Heirs situation. Griphook has already informed me of the living conditions he was in, and the diagnostics result for his familiar."**_ Ragnok commanded.

 _ **"Yes, My King. I've informed Heir Potter about his inheritance, and given him the Inheritance test, he is now on his way to the ritual chambers with Lord Severus Prince-Snape. I've informed him of some of his family history. Including what the Potter's usually stand for politically, although it won't be anything he won't be reading once I take him down to the family vault and he discovers the family journals. The Heir Potter has a love of books that could rival his mothers."**_

Sharpaxe grinned ferally, _**"Heir Potter has already determined to go before the Wizengamot in two weeks to argue for Lord Sirius Black's release from Azkaban, as well as to begin loosening Dumbledore's hold on the Wizengamot. I plan to meet with him again a few days before that to work out a plan, make sure he knows what to expect, also... he will need to appoint a new proxy. He has agreed with me getting in touch with Madam Bones about all of this, we can just add all of this to the list she is already compiling for us of Dumbledore's crimes."**_

King Ragnok grinned at that too. _**"I see he has also already summoned his missing heirlooms."**_ He raised an eyebrow at seeing that the Grimiore was not in the pile. Sharpaxe grinned again, _**"The first thing he did upon seeing the Grimiore was to pick it** **up and start reading it, even his familiar looked like she was reading it. He took it with him. Apparently, that pouch Sharptooth gave him to hold his school supplies, now contains everything he personally owns."**_ They all shook their heads at that.

Sharpaxe continued. _**"The only thing I have not yet gone over with him was the full contents of his vaults and business ventures, I felt that he had been given enough information to digest for one day, anymore might have just caused him to shut down. Lord Prince-Snape has also explained his status as one of two godfathers.**_

 _ **Also, according to his Inheritance Test, Lord Black Blood-adopted him sometime before the night Lord and Lady Potter were killed. I was especially relieved by this as according to Lord Prince-Snape, Dumbledore had wards placed all around the street Heir Potter grew up on, which alerted him to your presence as soon as you arrived with Sharptooth, My Prince, as such, Dumbledore has grown concerned that Heir Potter might not be entirely loyal anymore upon his return to Hogwarts and requested Lord Prince-Snape to brew loyalty and compulsion potions. And, as you know, the Black Heir Ring protects against those. After he is done with the Healers, he will come back here to withdraw some money, and I will make sure he goes and gets new clothes. After that, he will go the Longbottoms for the remainder of the summer."**_

Ragnok nodded thoughtfully. _**"As soon as they finish in the ritual chamber, I want you to organize a search for the other Horcruxes straight away using the one from Heir Potter-Black's scar. I also want you to continue working with Madam Bones." He shook his head. "The goblins have finally gotten our voice in the Wizengamot back with locating Heir Potter-Black. We need those restrictions Dumbledore has placed on us lifted, we cannot survive much longer like this. After all these years, they will have no choice but to listen now."**_ He finished in satisfaction.

Sharpaxe nodded, _**"Understood, My King. I already have a team standing by to receive the soul-piece."**_

Ragnok smirked, _**"Good."**_ He knew there was a reason Sharpaxe was assigned to the oldest and wealthiest family they did business with. As well as being the oldest account manager in the whole of Gringotts, not just the England branch. Most didn't last a whole decade, yet here his old friend was, managing the Potter accounts for the last 150 years.

That just showed how trusted he was and how good at his job he was.

* * *

By the time Snape and Harry reached the ritual room, Harry was extremely nervous about how this was going to happen. Snape must have noticed, because his hand landed on Harry's shoulder a moment later. Hedwig 'washed' his hair with her beak on his other one.

Harry started a bit and tensed as though expecting a hit or something, but relaxed when nothing happened other than Snape frowning at how thin that shoulder was. He started mentally calculating how much nutrient potions Harry would need just from looking, he wouldn't know for certain until he had the official diagnostics in his hand. He also thought he could maybe make Harry's a little stronger... He already knew he would have to make these special because of all the charms and blocks found.

When they were finally shown into the room, Harry was a little surprised to see the room full of both Goblins and wizards, one of whom looked like a Weasley, except with a fang earring in one ear and long hair up in a pony-tale. Everyone turned when they came into the room, and the goblin in charge stepped forward.

"Alright Mr. Potter, do you want to begin or would you like to wait a bit?" He asked. Harry saw the Weasley look-alike look up sharply his name before slowly looking back down at the parchment he had been studying in his hand and looking sick.

* * *

Bill Weasley was not expecting the urgent summons from Egypt, he definitely wasn't expecting to be told to go to the ritual room when he arrived. He had been expecting to go to his superiors office and get a dressing down, he had been wracking his brains the whole time while he waited for the special port-key to activate trying to remember if he did something wrong.

After arriving in the room, him and everyone else brought in for whatever this was were handed a parchment and told to study it so they knew what they were doing. They were told the client undergoing the ritual was still with the account manager and would be down shortly.

He felt sick reading the list of core and ability blocks, charms, and the potion this person was under. Honestly, who on earth could be sick enough to block 80% of a person's magical core and all of their special abilities? And the Horcrux on top of all that!

Well, at least he knew now why he was called all the way from Egypt for this, he got assigned to so many tombs that had Horcruxes in them that he was now considered Gringotts leading authority on getting rid of them. But this was going to be a tricky one. Instead of transferring this from a valuable object to a random rock he found lying around to be destroyed later, this was a person. He was going to have to take this person's magical core into account so he didn't damage it or accidentally fuse the Horcrux to it.

"Quickfinger, what's the order we're doing this in? Horcrux and then blocks, or blocks then Horcrux?" He called.

"What do you recommend, Senior Curse Breaker Weasley?" Quickfinger asked him with an almost feral grin. "You are the Horcrux expert in the room."

Bill did a double-take. Did he just get a promotion? He blinked a couple of times before shaking it off to deal with later before consulting the list again. He bit his lip as he thought. "In that case it might be best to do the Horcrux before the block on the client's core. The other's won't make much of a difference, but it might be safer for all of us if the core is as small as it apparently is at the moment when extracting the fragment. That way there will be less magic for the thing to latch onto or use to fight me with." Everyone else nodded. That made sense. "There would also be less potential damage to the core... whatever damage there is should then be healed by the block being removed."

"Alright, we will get rid of the charms first then, then the blocks in order, then the Horcrux, then unblock his core. Now then, the client is a friend of the goblin nation, and as always, you are sworn to silence on anything and everything that goes on in these halls. That means no discussing the clients identity with anyone not a goblin or in this room, and definitely not where anyone can overhear you." Quickfinger warned. Everyone nodded. Bill's mind was racing, trying to think who this client could possibly be that they were a friend of the goblin nation.

He was not expecting to see a twelve year old to walk in the door with a snowy owl on his shoulder, that must be the familiar that was listed, followed by Professor Severus Snape. He especially wasn't expecting Quickfinger to call the boy _Mr. Potter_. All he could do was stare at the parchment in his hand in horror, staring at the name _Dumbledore_ sitting there, beside all those charms, loyalty and compulsion charms.

He felt sick, how many times in his childhood did his mother sing Dumbledore's praises? His uncles had died, fighting _for Dumbledore_. And yet, Dumbledore had the nerve to block all of Harry Potter's, the Boy-Who-Lived, abilities and put charms to ensure his loyalty, and to ensure he would do what he wanted. His parents, his uncles, the whole wizarding world, put their lives in Dumbledore's hands. But he turned around and did something like this? He had heard from his father that Dumbledore practically took over the Wizengamot when he claimed Proxy over the Potter seats, and he continually told everyone that it was what Harry Potter wanted. How much of that was even true?

How many times had Magical Britain been told that Harry Potter was safe, happy, and well cared for? And here he was wearing rags.

And the Horcrux!

What if Dumbledore knew? Because there was only one person and one way he could think of for Harry Potter being a Horcrux. And that was Voldemort, on the night he killed Harry's parents.

Oh, he hoped Dumbledore didn't know about it, because if he did and continued to tell the people of Magical Britain that Voldemort was gone, never to return...

He barely heard Quickfinger calling his name, but he did notice when the wizard next to him, Perkins, his mind supplied, slapped his shoulder to get his attention. He startled before looking around and seeing everyone staring at him.

"Um, sorry, I was, uh..." He held up the parchment as an explanation while gesturing towards Harry, "It's just, ah, my little brother is his best friend, and I really wasn't expecting... anyway, what were you saying?"

Quickfinger raised an eyebrow. "I was asking you to explain the procedure for the Horcrux."

"Ah! It's pretty simple, really. We are going to do that before we unblock your core for safety reasons, these things really don't like it when we try to transfer them to other containers, its not a problem when they are in objects, since you are a living person with a magical core, we need to go a bit more carefully. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe." He said when Harry looked concerned and slightly panicked. "We are going to get rid off all this stuff first, then the Horcrux, the charms will be the easy part. We will let the Healers worry about the magical suppressant, we would have given you one before unbinding your core anyway, just for safety's sake, so that actually works out..." 'Although how on earth he is under a magical suppressant and has 80% of his core blocked and can still do magic, let alone be alive...' he thought. "All you have to do for all of this is just lay there, we will be doing all the work.

After we get the blocks removed, we'll give you a few minutes to, settle, I suppose, before removing the Horcrux. Now, I'm going to remind you of this later on, but when we get to the Horcrux, it is going to hurt a bit, and you should feel a tugging sensation centered around your scar. When that happens, I need you to help push it. Just focus on your want of it being gone. After that, we will unblock your core, and to be honest, the sudden influx of power from that will probably knock you out, but that's normal. So," he suddenly clapped his hands, "Any questions?"

The Professor and Harry looked at each other, before both shook their heads. Bill nodded.

"Then in that case, Professor, if you could take the pretty lady," He gestured at Hedwig, who hooted appreciatively at the compliment, "And stand by the door. Mr. Potter, if you would come lay in the middle of the room."

Snape took Harry's pouch with his belongings and Hedwig before Harry moved to the center of the room. Once Harry was down, Quickfinger nodded at him, before he and the other goblins took their places and removed the charms without any effort. _**"Now comes the more difficult part."**_ Quickfinger muttered, Bill nodded in agreement.

Now that the goblins were done with that part, the curse-breakers all stepped up and filled in the places left open in the circle. Bill smiled reassuringly down at Harry before they all started chanting in Gobbledygook again, with Quickfinger calling out which block they were focusing on in between.

* * *

Harry could feel when each block came undone. It was like someone breaking a hole in a dam and letting the water do the rest. He definitely felt it when they undid the block on his bond with Hedwig. Because all of a sudden, there was another presence in his head, for a second the other presence's thoughts and emotions were blinding, but then they receded and stayed in the background.

Finally, they were done chanting. "Mr. Potter, you alright?" He opened his eyes, when had he closed them? to find Bill crouched next to him. Slowly he nodded, then blinked when he felt a weight settle on his stomach. He looked to find Hedwig making a nest out of his over-sized shirt. She stared at Bill as if challenging him to make her move.

"Call me Harry."

"Alright." He turned to look at Hedwig. "I am sorry, pretty one, but it would be best if you did not stay here, I do not want to run of the risk of accidentally transferring the soul-piece into you."

Harry winced when her talons tightened around his shirt and dug into his skin a little bit, his hands automatically coming up to calm his spit-fire owl down.

Bill shook his head and sighed before grumbling about stubborn owls and how he was going to have to re-plan this around her. "Alright, now I've already said this, but when you feel a tugging sensation in your scar, push. Will the soul-piece out of you. Don't be surprised if the pretty lady helps you out, you haven't had a chance to read up on the Bond, yet huh?" Harry shook his head. "Well, it's fairly common for a bonded Familiar to have some kind of mental connection to their wizard, how strong the connection is depends on the bonded pair. I have a feeling that your Bond is going to be quite strong.

Alright, then, shall we get this part started? You alright to continue?" At Harry's nod, he pulled a medium sized rock our of his pocket and placed it on the ground next to his head. He patted Harry on the arm before standing up and accepting the water bottle one of his colleagues was holding.

Now that Bill wasn't blocking his view, he could see that everyone on the team was getting something to drink, with the more tired members munching on energy bars or something. When they saw Bill stand up, they all started taking their places again.

Once they started chanting again, his scar started to prickle, and as it grew more and more painful, if was all he could do to block it out, to focus on Hedwig in his hands. Finally, he felt the tugging, and then he felt the presence in his head start to push it out. He had never noticed this thing in his head before, but now that he knew...

It felt dark. Malicious, evil.

Shuddering, he started willing the thing out of his head.

* * *

It seemed like forever to Severus, once they started chanting again. Forever of just standing there and watching his godson in pain, silently screaming through gritted teeth, and not being able to do anything. He'd been warned that if he stepped over there, he could distract Mr. Weasley, and cause him to accidentally put the Horcrux into one of them, Hedwig, or even further lodge it into place.

From what he understood, Mr. Weasley was basically doing all of the work right now, the others were just providing energy and back-up in case the piece slipped his 'grip', they would grab hold of it until he had a chance to 'grab' it again.

He wished he could go over there like Hedwig, but she was small enough, not to mention his Familiar. That meant that she could actually help this process along, at least on Harry's end. But, finally, a thick black fog seemed to seep out of Harry's scar and into the rock placed there earlier.

At its appearance, the old, faded Mark burned like it hadn't in years. He wasn't looking forward to that conversation with Harry, but he also knew that he couldn't keep his past from him. He made a mistake, he was going to own up to it with his own godson. He knew he had made a mistake the moment it was done and he realized that Lily was going to kill him. And then, if he was lucky, she was going to turn him over to the Ministry, where they would hand him over to the Dementor's. As soon as he had been released from the Dark Lords presence, he had gone straight to James and Lily, hoping that he hadn't just ended their friendship like he almost had back in fifth year.

Surprisingly enough, Lily was the one keeping James from hexing him to the moon and back, and then arresting him on the spot. He hadn't expected her to be so willing to listen, but she did, and he started passing them information, no dates or times of raids or anything, nothing that could be linked back to him, just... what potions he was being asked to make, who their suppliers were, if their suppliers knew who they were selling to or not... small stuff like that. The occasional raid as long as it couldn't be linked back to him. He didn't know what they did with the information, he didn't care. The less he knew about their side of the war, the less he would have to lie about.

Thank goodness for Occlumency.

He'd tried to stop the one who heard the prophecy from giving it to the Dark Lord, tried to erase his memory of it before he got there, but he was too late. He'd failed. After that, he went to Dumbledore, told him that the Dark Lord knew of the prophecy, thought that it meant the Potters, thought it meant Harry. He bargained his life into Dumbledore's hands, officially became his spy, and again he failed.

* * *

'I failed once, I will not fail again.' He thought to himself as he waited impatiently for the team to finish undoing the block on Harry's core.

When they finally did, he was fairly certain they felt the magical backlash all the way at the surface. Everyone went flying into the walls, cracks were heard and seen forming in the walls and ceiling, Severus himself hit his head and it felt like bruised a rib. Luckily, the goblins had ancient magic carved into the very stone-work around them in the event of an earthquake or something else that could potentially cause cave-ins.

Like stronger-than-expected magical backlashes from unblocking a core.

When Severus finally gained his bearings, he staggered to Harry, who was in the center of the 'blast zone'. He absently noted that Hedwig didn't seem to have been affected at all, she was still nesting in Harry's old shirt. 'Lucky bird,' he thought jealously. Harry, though, was unconscious.

When the others finally started to stir, the doors burst open to reveal Sharpaxe, King Ragnok, a contingent of guards, and a team of Healers.

"What happened?" Ragnok demanded.

"We undid the block on Harry's core, it didn't exactly go as peacefully as we planned." Bill Weasley said as he carefully sat up to lean against the wall. Figured he would be the first one up, Weasley's were stubborn people famous for their hardheadedness. Severus could see blood through his fingers where he was holding his head though. Now that they knew there was no danger, the Healers scattered, one of them going straight to Harry while the others spread out among the Curse-Breakers and Goblins.

'All this from unblocking his core? We felt that all the way up top! The Ministry is already nosing around up there, demanding to know what we are doing up there, the one leading the charge into my bank is probably demanding to know what scheme we have come up with for destroying humanity this time. As amusing as his theories are... this isn't the time.' _**"Sharpaxe, go see if Madam Bones is up top, she has enough weight to get those Ministry idiots out of my bank without us just outright killing all of them. That's the last thing we need right now, not when we are so close..."**_ Ragnok growled. Sharpaxe bowed and left.

"My apologies, King Ragnok, we should have gone slower." Bill said as a Healer started testing his vision and checking for a spinal injury.

"No, nobody could have possibly predicted this happening, nobody knew the full size of his core, or the full extent of his magic. It would have been equally as impossible to predict how violently it would escape the binding." Ragnok said as he watched the Healer start to levitate Harry out of the room.

Bill grimaced, "And this was with the Magic Suppressant still in his system. Maybe we should have given him another dose, a stronger dose?"

Severus shook his head, "Knowing Dumbledore, the dose he was on was probably already just as strong as what I could make it, although where on earth he got it... He probably gave it to Harry at the end of the school year to ensure it lasted until the new term."

He walked out to follow his godson after bowing slightly to the King. He couldn't believe what just happened. 'I should probably take him to Ollivander's before we begin our shopping, make sure his wand will still work for him, or if we should go ahead and get him a new one...'


	4. Chapter 4

**_Gobbledygook_**

* * *

Harry woke up slowly. He wasn't aware of anything except that the bed was more comfortable than it should be. His stomach didn't hurt either, so he must not have been too hungry anymore, and there was a comfortable weight resting on his chest. The room didn't smell right though, it didn't smell like his room at the Dursley's, it smelled almost like... the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts.

Wait, what?

He shot up, scaring Hedwig and sending her toppling off the bed with a screech. Luckily, she managed to right herself and glide a bit before landing heavily on her feet. At the same time she fell, he felt an overwhelming fear, followed by annoyance and reproach after she landed.

What was going on?

Then he remembered. The goblins unexpected rescue, the conversation in Sharpaxe's office. The Familiar Bond with Hedwig, what Bill told him could sometimes happen with those forming mental connections of some kind. The rituals, getting rid of those blocks and charms. He sent back an apology through the link, and she hooted reproachfully before hopping back up on the bed and making herself comfortable on his lap.

It was then that Harry noticed he was in an infirmary similar to the one at Hogwarts, and that most of the beds around him were full of the Curse-Breakers from the ritual room.

And they were all staring at him.

"Er, hi." He said, waving shyly whole curling himself around Hedwig. A couple of the wizards shook their heads and muttered something about kids that Harry didn't quite catch. The next thing Harry knew, he was being swarmed by Healers while Severus and Sharpaxe walked into the room.

The Healers started doing various scans, and when they were finished and apparently happy with what they found, one of them handed him a pouch. "These are your nutrient potions for the next week, you will need them for the next three months, but your godfather can make the rest easily enough. You will take these, you are severely malnourished and need the help to get back to a good weight. Now, your growth has been severely stunted, so I'm afraid that you will never reach the height you were supposed to, but there is still a chance for further growth."

"Er, alright, thanks." The Healer nodded and went back to her duties taking care of the amused and slightly angry looking Curse-Breakers.

"Um, what happened?" Harry finally asked, looking around the room again at all the injuries. Head wounds, a couple of broken bones, what looked like a couple of concussions... Yeah, he didn't remember them being this injured when they started removing the soul-piece.

"Ah," Severus said, looking around too. "Well, unbinding your core was a little more violent than anticipated. Don't do that, they were doing their jobs, its not your fault. If anything, blame Dumbledore for binding your core in the first place." Severus scolded when he saw Harry start to look guilty over the injuries. Harry looked startled for a moment before he nodded slowly.

A few of the Curse-Breakers chimed in too that it wasn't Harry's fault. They were already beginning to like Harry, and so far the only contact they had with him was in the ritual room, even if the only one Harry spoke to was Bill. But Harry was nothing like they were expecting. Too small for his age, wearing over-sized rags, and everything Dumbledore did to him.

To everybodies amusement, Harry just ducked his head to hide his face in Hedwig's feathers.

Sharpaxe clapped his hands suddenly and waited until Harry raised his head. "well, Harry, the Healers have declared you fit to go. Your clothes are there," He pointed to the bedside cabinet, and it was then Harry realized he was wearing hospital pajamas and not his clothes, "When you are done changing, we still have a few more things to go over before you leave."

Harry nodded and waited until Hedwig moved before he hopped down and opened the cupboard, confused to find brand-new clothes and not his old rags.

When he looked at Sharpaxe, confused, Sharpaxe said, "We burned your old rags. Those were not proper to go out in public in, even if the public appearance was so you could get new clothes." Harry burned in embarrassment even as he grabbed the clothes and let Severus take his potions before turning him in the direction of the bathroom and gently pushing him forward.

'It's amazing, really, how magic works sometimes.' He thought as he pulled on the slightly too-big clothes, only for them to shrink once they were on to fit him perfectly. Once he was dressed, he pushed open the door, but stayed in the doorway listening when he heard talking.

"...be up to him." Severus was saying. "From what I have observed, they rarely went further than missed meals. Besides, as much as I may want to go there now and make them pay, Harry has had enough control taken from him regarding his own life. What happens to those _relatives_ ," he sneered, "should be his choice."

"I want nothing to do with them." Harry said, letting everyone know he was done.

* * *

As soon as the bathroom door closed behind Harry, the Curse-Breakers restarted their conversation from before Harry woke up. Now that Severus and Sharpaxe were here, they could get a few answers rather than just speculating. They wanted to know what Dumbledore was playing at, doing all this to the Boy-Who-Lived and then lying to the entirety of Wizarding Britain. If the public knew, they would be up in arms!

"Bill, didn't you say earlier in the chamber that your youngest brother was friends with Harry, has he said anything about him?" One of them remembered as he watched Severus put Harry's pouch of potions in the other pouch they remembered him taking from Harry earlier.

"Well, he wrote me once towards the beginning of the year... he mentioned something about Harry not being at all what he expected. Over-sized clothes, not mentioning or even seeming to like his fame or the attention, an average student... he wrote me again a little after Christmas and told me how shocked and surprised Harry was to find presents for him. Apparently Harry hadn't been expecting any at all. His aunt and uncle apparently sent him a... what was it? A 50 pence piece, I think it was? Harry gave the 50 pence to Ron, he was excited to show it to dad."

"His aunt and uncle?" Severus interrupted. When Bill nodded, "Did he ever mention them by name?"

Bill nodded, "Yeah, I think the aunt's name was Petunia, why?"

Snape's eyes were wide. "Because in their wills, James and Lily specifically said Harry wasn't to even learn of their existence. Petunia was always bitter towards Lily for having magic, bitter and spiteful. And I met Petunia's husband at James and Lily's wedding, absolutely horrible man, every time one of us tried to talk to him, he would loudly tell us 'Freaks' to stay away from him, that he was perfectly normal and didn't want to catch our 'freakishness.' Lily didn't want her son anywhere near them for a reason."

"Was their last name Dursley by any chance, do you know?" Sharpaxe asked after giving everyone a moment to fume and regain control of their emotions. Bill nodded. "Then we can easily get them for theft. The only money we've allowed to be taken out of the Potter accounts over the years after discovering Dumbledore's use of them was the standard monthly stipend to Harry's guardians as that was something specified in his parents wills. On the condition that the money was actually used for the care of their son. If it wasn't, the guardians automatically forfeit their home and half of their fortune. And then, we were given leave to do what we wanted with the thieves. But, all we've known until now is that their last name was Dursley. I think its very clear the conditions of James and Lily's will is met, as none of that money went towards Harry."

Snape frowned. "I think what happens to them should be up to him. From what I have observed, they rarely went further than missed meals. Besides, as much as I may want to go there now and make them pay, Harry has had enough control taken from him regarding his own life. What happens to those _relatives_ ," he sneered, "should be his choice."

"I want nothing to do with them." A young voice chimed in, alerting the room to the fact that Harry was done. He looked much better in clothes that fit and weren't rags.

"Much better, Harry. And if you want nothing to do with them, then you shall have nothing to do with them. Although I must tell you that as your guardians, despite the fact that you being there was already a breach of your parents wills, they committed a serious breach in not using any of their monthly stipend for your care. I ask that if you don't let us carry out your parents wills regarding them, that you at the very least let us put the Muggle authorities onto them for embezzlement." Sharpaxe said.

"Embezzlement?"

"For them not using the money they received monthly for your care on you."

Harry froze, he must have missed that part earlier. Everyone jumped when the empty beds suddenly caught fire and several potion vials exploded everywhere. Hedwig flew up to his shoulder and started crooning softly as she rubbed her feathered head against his cheek, Severus assumed she was also sending a feeling of calm through their link. According to Bill, from what he could tell while he was getting rid of the Horcrux, their link was already quite strong.

Snape tried to put the flames out, but they wouldn't go. He sighed and waited until Harry looked calm enough. When he finally opened his eyes again, he said. "Harry, can you put out the fires?" Harry started and looked around, his eyes going wide and the fires went out. "Sorry." He muttered, suddenly finding his shoes interesting.

"No need to apologize, it happens." Sharpaxe said, still a little shocked at the casual display. He wondered briefly if Harry even realized what he did.

"I guess, as long as the Wizarding world doesn't find out and I never see them again, you can do what you want with the Dursley's. Just curious, what did my parents wills say to do if my guardians didn't do what they were supposed to do?"

"The moment your relatives neglected to use the money for your care, they automatically surrendered all legal rights to any property they own as well as half of whatever their monetary worth is. After all that was done, Gringotts was left permission to do with them what we liked. We do not tolerate thieves, Harry." Sharpaxe noticed all the Curse-Breakers wince when he mentioned Gringotts having permission to do what they wanted with the Dursley's. He heard one of them mutter that the Dursley's were probably going to end up in the Goblin Mines for the rest of their lives. Sharpaxe grinned ferally at the wizard who said that.

Harry shuddered, he heard enough about Goblins in History of Magic, not that he thought ALL of that was true for a second, to know that he didn't want to know. "As long as the wizards don't find out. I get enough attention as it is."

Sharpaxe nodded. "Well, shall we continue this conversation in my office? Remember boys," He turned to the Curse-Breakers, "Your oaths of silence. Senior Curse-Breaker Weasley, you are in charge of finding and destroying the other Horcruxes using the one we have."

"Yes, sir."

"Oh, um, can you tell Ron I'm fine? Before the twins talk him into doing something crazy because he hasn't heard from me in a while?" Harry asked Bill. "I haven't told him anything, but he knows me and my relatives don't exactly get along..."

Bill chuckled and nodded, already imagining what the twins could possibly talk him into. "Hopefully its not already too late for that. I will tell him a rescue isn't needed."

Harry nodded before Severus steered him out of the infirmary after Sharpaxe.

Bill snorted when the door closed. "I just gotta figure out how to do it without giving anything away that could be considered a breach of my oaths of silence."

The others just laughed and wished him luck.

* * *

"Now then, you were out over-night, and I've taken the liberty of changing the locks on your school and personal vault. The locks on your family vaults were changed years ago. Here are the keys," He handed Harry a small key-ring full of about ten keys. "I'm afraid that you cannot access the family vaults until you are 15. Some of those are to various vaults that used to belong to various family members, it is your choice whether or not you want to close those and put the contents back in the main vault. Your heirlooms have already been placed back where they belong... there were a couple pieces of jewelry that had curses on them that had to be gotten rid of, but they are now clean. I also took the liberty of taking several of your family journals out of the main vault for you to look over. This will be a good start for you to learn a bit more about your family." He handed the journals over to an eager Harry.

Harry was already opening one read like he had with the Grimiore, but Snape cleared his throat and held out his pouch. They watched as Harry visibly deflated and took the pouch to carefully put the journals inside.

"Now then, you can get to and read the rest of them when you turn 15 and have full access to the family vaults. Here is an overall audit of what you have, including business's your family has invested in over the years, and who owes your family a monetary debt that has yet to be paid. And Severus informed me earlier that you have inherited the Slytherin vaults through right of conquest. The H means that vault has the highest security we could possibly give it." He handed over the lists. "Of course, the Black audits are not there since the Head of that Family is still alive. Once he is out of prison, it will be his decision to let you in on the Black Family finances or not."

When Harry saw the list, all he could do was gape.

 **Potter Accounts**

 **Main vault- number 50 H**

596,487,265,510 **G** 16 **S** 2 **K**

Assorted Jewels- 585,000,152 **G**

Heirlooms

Family Wands

Books

 **Heir vault- number 51 H**

540,987,651 **G** 15 **S** 5 **K**

Assorted Jewels- 547,221 **G** 12 **S** 16 **K**

Heirlooms

Books

 **Manor vault- number 52**

Furniture

Portraits

 **Library vault- number 53 H**

Originals of Potter Library

Family journals

 **Armory vault- number 54**

Weapons

Armor

 **vault- number 55**

548,584,332 **G** 15 **S** 22 **K**

Books

Brooms

 **vault- number 56**

642,581,214 **G** 15 **S** 25 **K**

Books

Jewelry

Dresses

 **James Potter personal vault- number 57**

985,254,854 **G** 15 **S** 2 **K**

Books

Portrait

Brooms

 **Lily Evans Potter personal vault- number 58**

541,336,547 **G** 12 **S** 28 **K**

Books

Dresses

Jewelry

 **Harry Potter personal vault- number 59**

658,857,154 **G** 14 **S** 24 **K**

Books

Knickknacks

Brooms

 **Potter family school trust vault- number 687**

501,546 **G** 12 **S** 22 **K-** refills every September 1

tops at 600,000 **G**

 **Godric's Hollow vault-number 826**

Furniture

Books

Baby toys

 **Potter Properties**

Potter Manor- unplottable

Hunting Lodge- Belgium

Marauder's Retreat- France

Godric's Hollow- England

Lake Cottage- Caribbean

Lyons Castle- unplottable

Ravens Tower- unplottable

50% of Hogwarts

 **Potter Businesses**

Daily Prophet- 44%

Nimbus company- 55%

Honeydukes- 22%

Zonko's Joke Shop- 15%

Eeylopps Owl Emporium- 5%

Potter Farms and Apothecary- 75%

Microsoft- 6%

Apple- 4%

Nike- 10%

General Motors- 11%

 **Slytherin Accounts**

 **Main Vault- number 5**

574,254,257,115 **G** 14 **S** 24 **K**

Heirlooms

Books

Portrait

Weapons

Armor

Wands

 **Slytherin Properties**

Asp Palace- unplottable

25% Hogwarts

"All this is mine?" Harry finally squeaked.

Severus smirked, "Yup, all yours. It would be advisable to visit your properties at some point, although you are NOT going to be staying at them alone, no matter how many elves I know your family had. I believe the Potter Head Elf was Mipsy. Call her."

Harry frowned, Elf? Like Dobby? "Mipsy." He called. To his relief, this elf wasn't wearing wearing a dirty old pillow case, although her tea-towel with coat-of-arms on it was a little rumpled and dirty.

"Young Master! Mipsy is sorry, Mipsy is not finding you, magic hide the Young Master!" She cried, throwing herself around his legs and sobbing her relief that 'the Young Master' was safe, even if he was too thin for her liking.

It took a while to get her to let go, she seemed to think that Harry would disappear on her if she did.

"Mipsy, Harry is going to be staying with the Longbottoms for the rest of the summer." When the little elf looked like she was going to start crying again, Sharpaxe hurried to add, "I'm sure Madam Longbottom will let you tag along if you want to and take care of your Young Master. " He ignored Severus's snort of amusement. "For now, if you could let the other Elves know Harry has been found and is safe and make sure the properties are ready should he decide to visit?" Sharpaxe asked her.

Mipsy waited for Harry's nod of approval before saying she could do that and popped out to carry out the Goblins request. She didn't go without one parting admonishment for Harry to eat though.

"She was much different than Dobby, happier." Harry muttered quietly.

"Dobby?" Severus asked sharply. "How do you know that elf?"

"Er, he's the elf that got me in trouble with the Dursley's and the Ministry with that Hover Charm. He's been stopping all mail from my friends too, why?"

"Because Dobby is the personal House-Elf of Lucius Malfoy. Did he say why he was doing all that?"

"Yeah, he said horrible things were going to happen, that there was an evil plot or something. He was trying to get me to promise not to go back this year. Couldn't it have just been a joke from the Malfoys or something? I know Draco Malfoy would love to get me expelled."

Severus shook his head. "The bond between the elf and master weakens the more the master causes harm to the elf, either directly or indirectly. As you could see, Dobby was very much physically harmed. If the Malfoys had tried to order Dobby to go play some kind of trick on you like that, the bond is weak enough that he could refuse, especially since he has always been a little... obsessed. with the Great Harry Potter. As I'm sure you noticed." He said when he caught Harry's grimace. "And I wouldn't put it past Lucius to really be plotting something. No doubt when it happens, the Headmaster will ignore the problem long enough for you to feel like you are the one responsible for stopping it. Forcing you to play the hero, no doubt as a test." He sat there for a few moments staring at a wall while Harry and Sharpaxe watched.

Finally he shook himself, "I will keep an ear out, if you see Dobby again, tell me." He instructed.

Harry nodded slowly. He would try, but he had grown up knowing adults weren't to be trusted, they would always let you down. McGonagall had proven that last year when they went to her about the Stone.

"Now, then!" Sharpaxe said. "I think that is all we had to discuss, I will take you to your personal vault and let you get to your shopping. It just so happens that your school book-list came earlier this morning while you were still out." He held the letter out, Harry took it and opened it up to see what kind of book would be assigned for Defense so he could get an idea what kind of teacher it would be this year, only to find a bunch of book titles that looked like they could be fiction written by a guy named, "Who's Gilderoy Lockhart?"

Snape frowned too, "What?" he asked as he took the list from Harry only to start cursing in every language he knew that wasn't English. He absently reflected that he wouldn't be able to do that anymore after he started teaching some of these languages to Harry. "This idiot? What is Dumbledore thinking? The new teacher is either the idiot himself or some witch who's huge fan, either way the teacher is going to be useless and you won't be learning anything." He sighed at Harry's confused look. "Lockhart is a giant fraud. Half of the stuff he writes in his books is so false and impossible that its laughable. Something that anybody with a brain should know. Not to mention, if you look carefully, you could tell that his own timeline doesn't add up. He'd have to literally be in three places at once."

He hummed a bit as he thought. "I know of a place within Hogwarts... where I could tutor you in secret if you would like. Potions and Defense mostly... I need to repair the damage I caused last year during my classes, and last year's Defense teacher was pathetic... it would also be a good idea to teach you how to control your new magical strength. By the way... you wouldn't happen to know what happened to Quirrel do you? The Headmaster wouldn't tell me anything." He asked curiously.

"Um, he Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head. He was trying to steal the Stone so he could come back... I, um... I kind of... killed him." Harry said reluctantly and quietly.

"Are you telling me, that you killed someone at the age of eleven, encountered the Dark Lord and survived _again_ , and Dumbledore just sent you back to your relatives with a pat on the head and a good job?"

"Um, yeah? What's wrong?"

"Nobody came to speak with you about it, you killed a man and nobody came to speak with you about it?" Severus asked incredulously.

Harry shook his head, confused about what the problem was. Adults being unhelpful and not doing their jobs where he was concerned was nothing new to him after all. Severus stared at him for another moment before shaking head and deciding to drop it... for now. Sharpaxe watched the whole thing and mentally added yet another strike against Dumbledore.

"Anyway, we'll discuss this some more later... tutoring. You will have to wear your Cloak to make sure you are not followed and for now keep this silent from your friends. I will let you know when you can tell them, when I am sure where they stand. Especially Weasley, his family is notorious Dumbledore supporters... Mr. Weasley is alright, we are protected there by his oaths of silence he took as part of his employment with the bank." Harry made a face at having to keep this secret from his friends but could agree that they didn't want them running to Dumbledore, first though...

"Yes, please!" Harry said, bouncing up and down in his seat. Severus's mouth twitched towards a smile again at his godson's eagerness.

"Alright then, expect a detention from me after your first class so we can plan a schedule." Harry made a face at the detention, but nodded eagerly.

Sharpaxe grinned too, "Well, then, shall we go visit the vault?"

* * *

Harry leaned against a wall, trying to get the hallway to stop spinning. They had just gotten out of the cart outside his personal vault, vault number 59. They had just spent the last 20 minutes on that cart, twisting and turning the whole way down, at some point the tracks turned into a spiral, one that went on and seemed like it would not end, like an endless spiral staircase.

Ugh, just thinking about that dumb spiral made him feel sick.

Hedwig herself was perched on his shoulder shaking. He could feel her own dizziness through their new link, he didn't doubt that they were only making each other's dizziness worse.

While he got his bearings, Sharpaxe and Severus talked about random things. Harry heard snippets and figured they were talking about Harry's safety at Hogwarts and what Mr. Malfoy could be up to. Harry had a moment of envy that neither of them seemed the least bit affected by the ride. But they were also probably used to it or something.

When he was finally able to see straight, he pushed off the wall and and walked over to the two, silently handing over his key when Sharpaxe asked for it.

He knew from reading the audit lists, that he had a lot in there, but reading about it, and seeing it, were two completely different things.

The vault was full, with floor to ceiling bookshelves, some covered in trinkets, some full of books. There were trunks sitting around, opening one. Harry saw precious jewels and other knickknacks, there was a small pile of brooms in one corner, and filling the rest of the room, was a very large pile of gold.

Sharpaxe walked over to a bookshelf and pulled down two envelopes, which he handed to Harry along with a money pouch. "Read these later, they are from your parents, written shortly before That Night, and this has an expansion charm on it so you can put as much as you want in it, I would recommend taking a lot, you have a lot of shopping to do. If you would like, we can even convert some of this into British pounds if you feel like you would go into the Muggle world for some of your shopping."

Harry took the letters reverently before tucking them inside one of the books Severus handed him from the shelves, looking at it, Harry saw that it was a book on Familiar's. Some of the other titles were on his book-list for the coming school year and one was on Animagus transformation. Looking at it, he saw the names James Potter and Sirius Black on the cover as the authors. He stared at it for a while until a cleared throat brought him back to the present and he carefully put the books into his pouch before taking the money pouch from Sharpaxe, angrily wiping away a stray tear.

"One thing about that pouch that you should know is the security measures on it. It will only open for the first person to put money into it. Once you have placed coins into it, it will bind itself to your magical signature," he watched as Harry started sweeping piles of money into the pouch, once the first coin was in it glowed blue for a moment before stopping, "It is now keyed to your magical signature. No one else will ever be able to open it, and you do not want to know what will happen to whoever tries to force it open." He grinned ferally, making Harry shiver. He made a mental note to never get on the goblins bad side.

Once he put more money than he thought he would need into it, he turned to go only for Severus to stop him and pass him several more handfuls.

"Do you want to take anything else with you from here? Some of these things were stuff your parents bought for you from various places, your parents loved to travel before they had to go into hiding." Severus said softly.

Harry shook his head, but stopped on his way out when a small fang sitting on a nearby shelf caught his eye. He decided to take that along too, when they reached the cart again, Severus took it and transfigured a strip of leather to string it on, putting it over Harry's head just as the cart started moving again.

On the trip back up top, he tried to distract himself from the ride by thinking back on the past couple of days.

He was starving in his room, now here he was, a pouchful of his possessions and money, one of the wealthiest people in Britain, and a godfather with him plus a plan to get the other one the trial he should have received years ago. Not to mention, said imprisoned godfather also happened to be his adopted father. Factor in an old man who apparently felt the need to manipulate everything and everyone he could and had control over the whole world, without the world realizing it... life was so much simpler a couple of days ago when he was trying to figure out how to get him and Hedwig out of the house alive.

* * *

"Alright, I have a slight Notice-Me-Not charm on myself so people won't look twice, it would not be good for word to get back to either Dumbledore or the Death Eaters that we were seen together in the Alley. Ollivander's first. We need to make sure your wand will still work for you since your core was unblocked." Severus said as he led Harry out of Gringotts.

Only to bump straight into the Weasley's.

"Harry! There you are mate! I was getting worried, why didn't you tell me you were coming to the Alley? For that matter why haven't you owled me at all this summer?" The youngest Mr. Weasley said as he clapped Harry on the shoulder in greeting.

"Er, I couldn't owl, Uncle Vernon had Hedwig locked up, and coming to the Alley today was... unexpected, and a long story that I will tell you later. In private." Harry said.

"Oh, Harry, dear. Your not here alone are you? You really shouldn't be on your own dear, does Dumbledore know you are here? Come on, you can come home to the Burrow with us, and then we can contact the Professor." Mrs. Weasley chimed in.

"That will not be necessary, Mrs. Weasley. I'm with him and arrangements have already been made for him to stay for the summer." Severus said smoothly, subtly putting up a privacy ward while he cancelled his charm.

While all the Weasley boys jumped at the sudden appearance of their least liked professor. "Harry! What are you doing with him?"

"Keep it down, I don't want the street to know I'm here, I won't be able to shop in peace. A lot's been going on the past couple of days. I'll explain more later."

"Ok, hey. Listen... me and the twins went to get you, we saw your room. Are you sure your alright?"

Harry smiled, even if he was a little embarrassed that his best friend saw all that. "Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks. I'll explain more later."

Through the boys entire exchange, he had watched the Weasley girl, she was alternating between hiding behind her father and looking like she wanted to say something to Harry. And he didn't like the predatory gleam in her eyes. It was the same thing he had seen before in Blaise Zabini's mother when she first met the poor rich man who would become her next husband. Whether that poor man knew it at that time or not. He made a mental note to have Sharpaxe check to see if Dumbledore had tried to arrange another marriage between Harry and someone he deemed an 'acceptable light witch'.

In other words, any witch in Britain that supported Dumbledore or was otherwise controlled by him.

"We best be going, we have a lot to buy." Severus cut in. Weasley startled again and eyed him warily, while the twin terrors eyed him like they were already planning their next prank. And he was the target.

Great.

"Alright, well, owl me later, and I'll see you on the train?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded and smiled. "Yup! See you, Fred, George."

Severus got an idea and grabbed Arthur's arm before he passed and told him to ask for Sharpaxe about getting his family checked, and to not mention seeing him. The fact that Molly immediately asked if Dumbledore knew where Harry was concerned him.

Arthur looked confused, but agreed.

Severus reapplied his Notice-Me-Not and took down the ward, "Right, Ollivander's first." He said as he led Harry away. Harry turned to wave at Ron.

"You really think Dumbledore did anything to them?" Harry asked, worried. He liked the Weasley's, he didn't want them controlled.

"I hope not. Here we are," he opened the door and let Harry in first, hearing Ollivander as he stepped in behind him.

"Ah, Mr. Potter. I was not expecting to see you in here, and certainly not so soon. You didn't break it did you?"

Harry blushed, "No, its fine."

"We've just come from Gringotts." Severus cut in, "Harry had 80% of his core blocked the last time he was here, it is now unblocked."

"Ah, is that what the magical disturbance last night was?" He asked. He turned his creepy stare to Harry again, "Yes, yes, I can tell the difference in power levels. You are concerned whether or not his current wand will still work for him? Yes, lets see it then."

Harry slowly pulled out his wand and held it out. Ollivander didn't take it though. Instead, he held his hand over Harry's and the wand. "Hm, yes, this is now a little out of line, you can still use it fine, it will just be a little more difficult than it should be... but that's not because of your new core size. That I believe is because of your new Familiar Bond. This is a common problem for wizards who develop one. It won't take much to fix, all I need is a feather from the pretty lady on your shoulder and 15 minutes."

When he finished speaking, Hedwig lifted her wing, preened a bit, and came out holding one of her primary feathers in her beak.

"Aren't you a smart one?" Ollivander asked as he took her feather from her and grabbed Harry's wand, disappearing into the back with a brief, "It will only be 15 minutes."

Severus and Harry stood there for a moment. Finally, Severus sighed. "While he works, we might as well go get some owl treats or something for Hedwig." Harry nodded and followed him out of the shop, and across the street to Eylopps Owl Emporium.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Gobbledygook_**

* * *

 _Severus and Harry stood there for a moment. Finally, Severus sighed. "While he works, we might as well go get some owl treats or something for Hedwig." Harry nodded and followed him out of the shop, and across the street to Eylopps Owl Emporium._

* * *

Arthur Weasley was slightly worried about what Professor Snape told him. What would he need to get the family checked for? He hadn't noticed anything wrong... but he was also with Harry, and if he remembered correctly from what his father told him, the Potter Account Manager was the oldest and most trusted Account Manager in the Goblin nation. He was a goblin who served the Potter's for 150 years. If Severus was telling him to ask for him, then something must have happened.

And whatever that was, it clearly involved Harry. He looked at his youngest son in concern. From what little he'd been told about the previous school year, what concerned Harry Potter, concerned Ron too. According to the twins, the two were practically joined at the hip at school.

Going up to the nearest teller, "Excuse me, Professor Severus Snape has requested that we speak with Accounts Manager Sharpaxe about getting our family checked? He didn't say for what though."

The goblin frowned briefly, "What is your families connection with Heir Potter that Lord Snape would request you to speak with his account manager?" The goblin asked cautiously.

"Arthur, what is going on?" Molly asked her husband. He shook his head, letting her know that he didn't know, but he had a feeling that whatever it was would be serious.

"Er, my youngest is his best-friend and dorm-mate... and I believe Headmaster Dumbledore approached us in the past about signing a marriage contract between him and my daughter, we turned him down though."

The goblin nodded, then turned and barked, " ** _Inform Accounts Manager Sharpaxe that Lord Prince-Snape has directed the Weasley family to him to be checked, and see if Senior Curse-Breaker Weasley is well enough to meet them in Manager Sharpaxe's office if he is agreeable."_** The messenger nodded and raced away, coming back five minutes later to inform them that Sharpaxe was waiting.

His children looked at him, worry written all over their faces, when they realized they weren't going to the carts, but instead back to the offices, more specifically, the Account Manager's offices. "Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with our account." He reassured them. "I hope." He added under his breath so they wouldn't hear. The goblin obviously heard, but he chose not to say anything.

Finally, they stopped outside a door, with a name plate reading,

 **Sharpaxe**

 **Potter Family Accounts Manager**

"Dad?" Ron asked, confused.

"Hold on, Ron. I don't know quite what is going on, but Professor Snape told me to come speak with Sharpaxe about getting the family checked. I'm going to assume Manager Sharpaxe will know what that means. Whatever is going on, it's obviously serious and involves Harry, and from what the twins told me, what involves Harry usually somehow involves you too. So, I'm going along with what the Professor said." Arthur said as the goblin announced their presence.

Finally, he stepped back out of the doorway and ushered them inside. What they were not expecting was to see a clearly injured Bill standing in the office behind the goblin occupied desk.

"BILL!" Molly gasped, she would have run to him, except that would be considered extremely rude by the goblin in the room, and the goblins did not tolerate such rudeness in their own offices.

Arthur saw Sharpaxe signal to Bill that it was alright before Bill came around to their side of the desk to accept his mothers hug and fussing.

"I'm alright, mum, it was just an accident, they happen." Bill said, trying to get his mother to back off, she was currently talking about calling the family's Healer or taking him to St. Mungoes, finally, Bill, had enough. "MUM! I only have an hour here before the Healers want me back in the infirmary." He said, stressing the word's Healers, and infirmary. Making it clear to his mother that he was already receiving the best of care.

Sharpaxe watched the whole thing in amusement. Finally, he cleared his throat and watched as his siblings all quietly piled Bill into a quick group hug before speaking. "Senior Curse-Breaker Weasley was injured in the course of his work for the bank, while undoing a block somebody placed on one of our clients magical cores. The release, was... more violent than expected. You are here, because, the core block was not the only thing we had to remove from the client. Yes, Mr. Weasley?" He asked when Ron slowly raised his hand like he would in class.

"Sir, the client, it's Harry, isn't it? Somebody blocked Harry's core and then had a bunch of charms on him." Ron said in a small voice.

Bill smiled and pulled his brother into a side-hug. " ** _See, I told you my little brother was brilliant and would be the first to figure it out."_**

Sharpaxe smiled slightly at that. "Yes, Mr. Weasley, it is Harry. The charms we found on him were tracking, loyalty and compulsion charms. As well as an aversion charm to anything related to Slytherin and studying."

Everyone gasped at hearing of the loyalty and compulsion charms. Those were borderline illegal. "The concern here, is that because you are so close to the one who cast those charms, that he might have done the same to your family, or at least to young Mr. Weasley here. Due to his closeness to Harry, we feel it best to check. Obviously when you ran into Professor Snape outside, something was said to cause him concern regarding this or he would not have sent you to me."

Ron was mumbling to himself, all the others heard was something about goats. "One of the first things mum said to Harry was to ask if Dumbledore knew he was in the Alley today." He said when his oldest brother poked him in the side.

"What does Dumbledore have to do with this?" Molly asked, confused. It was a legitimate concern, after all the man was Harry's magical guardian. It was only right that he knew where Harry was.

"Because, Mrs. Weasley. Headmaster Dumbledore is the one who blocked Harry's core, abilities, and the one to put a loyalty and compulsion charm on him."

* * *

"Young man, that owl needs to be caged if you are going to have her in here. I will not have her eating the merchandise." The shop keeper called.

"Don't worry, she won't leave my shoulder. She's well-behaved." Harry called back as he moved further into the shop, he had to squash his irritation over Hedwig being called 'that owl'. He could feel Hedwig's irritation too and worked to calm her down even as he tried to calm himself down.

He narrowed his eyes briefly. "She better not. You pay for what she eats."

Harry nodded, "Yes, sir."

He sighed. "What can I get for you then?"

"Just some treats, and maybe some of your more rare mice breeds? The ones she won't find hunting in Britain." He asked, feeling Hedwig's satisfaction and excitement over his request.

The keeper grinned, "Going to spoil someone, are we? Here we go." He said as he gathered the requested items. "That's going to be... 10 Galleons, 2 Sickles, and 3 Knuts. I'll give you an extra box of treats free since she's so well behaved."

Harry's eyes widened as he counted out the money, then he grinned, "Thank you!" Everyone chuckled as Hedwig hooted and puffed up proudly.

Harry put the new items in his 'pouch of stuff', as he was starting to call it, while he let Severus steer him out of the shop and into the leather shop next to Ollivander's. They still had time.

This shop, Harry discovered, sold the finest leather goods. Quality Dragon-hide gloves, boots, and wand holsters. Their least expensive item was a piece of cow-hide. Nothing done with it, not made into anything, just a random piece of leather. He figured it must be for craftsman, crafts-wiz? He thought he even saw a saddle in one corner.

Severus steered him straight for the wand-holsters, finding the section on the wall made of dragon-hide with anti-summoning charms on them. "Pick one."

Harry picked a black one that the tag said was made from Hungarian Horntail, with the design of a dragon stitched into it, Severus told him the design was also a Hungarian Horntail. The most vicious and protective dragon breed out there. Especially when it came to their young. Before going to pay, Severus picked up a can of Leather oil so Harry could take proper care of it. He explained that if he didn't, then even Dragon-hide would eventually start to dry out and crack. The more it cracked, the less sturdy it was and the more he ran the risk of it breaking on him.

When he went to pay, Harry protested, until Severus told him, "Consider it a late birthday present." Harry looked confused for a moment before he decided to go with it.

After helping Harry put it on, he steered him towards Ollivander's to get his wand back so he could have something to put in his new holster.

"Welcome back, Mr. Potter, or should I say Heir Potter-Black?" Ollivander asked when he spotted the Heir rings on Harry's hands.

"Whichever is fine." Harry said softly.

"Not a word of this to anyone though, we are trying to keep it quiet for now." Snape warned.

"Of course, of course... now, your wand was being difficult at first, but once I got the two cores intertwined, it calmed down and behaved itself. If it decides to be difficult again, give it time and if it still doesn't work as it should, bring it back and I will see what I can do." Ollivander instructed as he handed the wand back to its owner.

When Harry took the wand, it was like holding it for the first time a year ago all over again. His hand felt warm, and that warmth traveled up his arm. He smiled when he levitated the chair by the door and using the spell felt easier than it ever had. He jumped a little when the chair shot up to the ceiling instead of slowly floating upwards like he had expected. It almost hit the ceiling before suddenly falling back to the ground when Harry released the spell. It would have crashed and splintered if it weren't for Severus's quick spell-work.

"Sorry."

"Not to worry, lack of control is a common problem for wizards when they get their cores unblocked. Especially with how much of yours that was blocked. You just need to re-learn control, Mr. Potter." Ollivander said before Severus could say anything. Severus rolled his eyes but nodded his agreement.

"How much?" Harry asked, putting his wand in his new holster.

Before he could pull his money pouch out though, Severus was already handing over the two galleon labor fees Ollivander asked for. "Hey!" Harry protested again.

Severus just smiled slightly as he steered Harry out of the wand-shop. Severus decided he would let Harry pay for most of his stuff. Since he grew up taking care of himself, he knew that Harry would be very independent. He was still going to pay for what he could though, after being denied the simple pleasure of providing for his godson for 10 years, he was going to provide all he could now.

* * *

The office was filled with stunned silence. Molly was disbelieving, while everyone else was horrified at what they heard. They couldn't believe it. Why would the Headmaster do such a thing?

Sharpaxe let them have a few moments to process what he heard, before clearing his throat again, and gesturing to Bill to hand him the dagger and parchments. "These parchments are specially treated with a potion designed to show a person's abilities, any blocks they might have on their abilities, and whatever charms, or potions the person might be under the influence of."

"What reason would the Headmaster have to place those charms on my family?" Molly demanded to know.

Sharpaxe smiled slightly. "He came to you, years ago, did he not? About creating a marriage contract between Harry and your daughter? And you refused him. He doesn't, ah, take kindly to people refusing him, and tends to take measures to ensure it doesn't happen a second time." He explained. Molly was stunned silent.

"Mum, when I first started working here, this abilities test was required, and it showed a block on my magical core and my ability to see wards." Bill said softly. "I didn't say anything at the time, because we got rid of it, no problems, and we didn't know who placed the blocks. But... now we are almost certain we know who it was."

"But, why would he block your ability to see wards? Unless..." Ron trailed off.

"Yes, Ron?" Arthur asked.

"Unless, the supposed impenetrable wards at Hogwarts aren't really impenetrable anymore. What if the Headmaster has also been tampering with them? Making them weaker somehow, or just neglecting to keep them strengthened and maintained? That troll we fought last year shouldn't have been able to get into the school, and yet, it did. Plus the one he was deliberately keeping in the school to guard the Stone."

"Trolls? Stones? We will discuss when we get home, young man." Arthur said, he had no idea what his son was talking about, but it didn't sound good.

Ron grimaced, "Yes, sir." He said quietly.

"Unfortunately, the young Mr. Weasley is right. We have sent Ward Masters to check the condition of the wards around Hogwarts yearly. Every year they are weaker. But that is not why we are here." He gestured at the parchments and knife. "All it requires is some blood on the center of the parchment. Who is first?"

Arthur walked over, shaking his head the whole time, muttering under his breath exactly what he planned to do to the Headmaster if he dared touch his family. Sharpaxe watched him pick up the dagger and let the blood fall onto the parchment before he suddenly barked, " ** _Go get the ceremonial bowl and dagger from the Weasley Family Vaults. While you are gone, send someone to fetch the potion for Inheritance tests. One for you and your father. And get the old Weasley Account Manager, I think it was Quickjaw."_** Bill nodded and left the room.

"He is going down to the Weasley Family Vaults to get a couple of things for us. Your old manager will also join us shortly."

"I thought our old Family Vaults were cleaned out and closed decades ago." Arthur said as he watched the writing appear on the parchment.

Sharpaxe raised an eyebrow. "And that thought is exactly why Quickjaw is joining us. Now, then..." He said, taking the parchment. "You look clean, no charms or potions on you that shouldn't be there. I suspect that is because you work for the Ministry and they routinely check for things like that. Mrs. Weasley?" He held the dagger out to her. She stepped forward, clearly thinking all this was a waste of time, but she took the dagger and cut her finger with it, letting the blood fall on the fresh parchment.

Sharpaxe took the parchment and raised an eyebrow before handing it back to Molly. "I'm afraid to say, you are potioned and charmed, Mrs. Weasley. You also have an ability block."

Her eyes widened and she grabbed the parchment.

 **Molly Prewett Weasley**

 **Abilities**

Ward sight- blocked

 **Charms**

Loyalty- keyed to Albus Dumbledore

Compulsion- keyed to Albus Dumbledore

Suggestions- keyed to Albus Dumbledore

Obliviations

 **Potions**

Obedience

Loyalty- responsive to Albus Dumbledore

She stared in horror at the parchment. "We will take you down to the ritual room after we have tested your children." Sharpaxe said, holding the dagger out to Percy.

After he sliced his finger, he just handed it off to Fred so they could keep this moving. There were a lot of them, after all. And they did still have to shop for school.

"Arthur, we don't have time for this today, we still have to shop for school, and this is the only day you could get off for that." Molly said quietly as she watched her children take the test.

"After we take care of the Inheritance stuff, I can take the children that are clean and take them to get all of the school stuff while you go to the ritual room and get this taken care of. I worry how we are going to pay for this though." Arthur said.

"Don't worry about that dad, I've already made arrangements for this to be taken out of my paychecks. I recently got promoted, so it won't be too bad." Bill said quietly, coming in just in time to hear that.

"Oh, but Bill..." Molly started to protest. He just smiled and gave her a hug before going to put the Bowl and Dagger on the desk, placing two potions on the desk beside them.

"Quickjaw is coming, apparently when our Account was 'closed out', he kept everything waiting for the day when we would come asking. Seems he took everything that happened back then as a personal insult since he didn't do anything wrong, did everything he could to stop it, in fact, and it still happened." Bill informed Sharpaxe.

Sharpaxe nodded as he examined the Weasley children's parchments. "Mr. and Miss Weasley," He said, handing Ron and Ginny their parchments, "Are clean. The other three boys, however..." he said. Handing the parchments of Percy, Fred, and George to their father.

He took the parchments, and everyone could see his anger that somebody dared to mess with his children's magic.

 **Percival Weasley**

 **Abilities**

Eidetic Memory- partially blocked

Ward sight- blocked

 **Charms**

Aversion to rule breaking

Obsession with rules and authority figures

Obliviations

 **Potions**

Loyalty- responsive to Albus Dumbledore

 **Fredrick Fabian Weasley**

 **Abilities**

Twin-telepathy- partially blocked

Ward sight- blocked

 **Charms**

Tracking- keyed to Albus Dumbledore

Aversion to Slytherin

Obliviations

 **George Gideon Weasley**

 **Abilities**

Twin-telepathy- partially blocked

Ward sight- blocked

 **Charms**

Tracking- keyed to Albus Dumbledore

Aversion to Slytherin

Obliviations

"Ron and Ginny have the ability to see wards too, but their's hasn't developed yet." Bill said, looking over their parchments.

Fred took his parchment his tomato-red father. "Well, the hat did want to put us in Slytherin." He slowly said as he looked everything over. "And the tracking is probably so he could tell where we were so he could avoid our pranks or something... but twin-telepathy?" He asked his parents.

Molly nodded. "It is rare, but sometimes with wizarding twins they are telepathic with each other. I should have figured you two had that with how close you are and all that. I should have known something wasn't right when you didn't develop that." What she didn't tell them was that it was a good thing Dumbledore didn't try to completely block it. The shock that would have caused could have killed them.

Fred frowned but he didn't say anything. They all knew that their parents couldn't pay them the kind of attention that children with less siblings got, and they didn't mind. They all loved having so many siblings, and they all knew their parents did their best to pay them all equal amounts of attention, even if it didn't always seem like it.

"There has always felt like something has been missing." George said to his twin quietly.

They may have looked calm, but every Weasley in the room knew that Dumbledore was going to pay, Weasley twin style. And there would be no escape.

"And now we know why Percy suddenly got so stuffy about rules and stuff when he started Hogwarts." Fred said lightly. He didn't want to dwell right now on what was taken from him and his twin for so long.

"Yeah, remember the pranking war we got into with him when we were younger?"

"Yup, I remember Forge."

Molly groaned. She remembered that too. She also remembered how happy she was when Percy came home from his first year and told the twins that their pranks were childish and he didn't have time for such things anymore. She was beginning to feel like a failure of a mother.

Arthur noticed how down she was getting, and pulled her into a hug, whispering reminders that it wasn't her fault, she couldn't have known. Finally, she came out of it and turned her thoughts towards making Dumbledore regret he ever messed with her family.

* * *

Severus decided they might as well go visit the bookshop now, Harry didn't need any of his school books, he would be using his parents, the ones he got from his personal vault. Severus thought he might have grabbed Lily's, they were in better shape than James were if he remembered correctly. But he had a feeling that Harry would be well on his way to starting his own private library by the time they were done shopping and Severus dropped Harry off at the Longbottoms.

He quickly decided to save the trip to the bookstore for last when he saw the line of witches snaking its way outside the shop, and the sign by the door stating that Gilderoy Lockhart was doing a book signing today.

As they walked away, Harry said, "Hey, I saw in through the door, I thought I saw Malfoy and what looked like his father. Mr. Malfoy was slipping something into Ron's sisters cauldron. Both he and Mr. Weasley looked like they were fighting, they were pretty roughed up."

This concerned Severus, a hundred possibilities of what Lucius could have been giving her was running through his mind. "That can't be good... I believe Miss Weasley is starting Hogwarts this year?" When Harry nodded, he continued. "Whatever that was must have been part of the plot Dobby warned you about. I will keep an eye out when we reach school and warn her Head of House, who will probably be Minerva, to keep a close eye on her. Keep an eye out while we are here for her father, get his attention if you do see him, I will tell him what you saw. Hmm, strange though, I would have thought the Weasley's would still be in Gringotts. I told Mr. Weasley to request an audience with Sharpaxe and ask for his family to be checked. Unless Molly Weasley decided to save time and sent her husband and youngest on to go ahead and get their shopping while she stayed at the bank with the other boys."

"Or she outright refused to let her family be checked. From what Ron has told me, she would take it as a personal insult for someone to suggest that something was wrong with her family and she didn't notice. She's very proud of her family and her ability to be a good mother."

Severus hummed. "Its possible. Molly Weasley is indeed a very proud woman. But at the same time, if there were the possibility of there being something wrong with her family, she would want to know right away and she would want it fixed as soon as possible. And then she would do everything she could to make the one who messed with them seriously regret it. Regardless of whether or not she thought someone was questioning her ability to care for her family."

"True."

Severus pulled Harry into an alcove and asked him to take out his trunk so he could inspect his potions equipment and see where he was on his uniform, whether or not they would need to get it refitted along with the rest of their clothing order.

From what Severus remembered, it had been Hagrid to take Harry his letter last year, and then took him shopping. While Severus could not deny that the gentle half-giant knew his creatures and the students all loved him (except for his snakes), he wasn't exactly qualified to introduce a Muggle-raised student to the Wizarding World for the first time. Let alone take him shopping and help him pick out the best quality potions ingredients he could.

He deemed the cauldron in good shape, and the scales would be good for their tutoring sessions where they were just working with the basics that every wizarding child learned about long before Hogwarts, although Harry would need a better set for class itself where the potions would be more complicated and needed more precise measuring. Everything else needed replaced. They might have been acceptable once, but Harry clearly did not know how to care for them properly. He'd done his best, but you couldn't just clean these like you would a kitchen utensil. All the ingredients were bad, they hadn't been the best quality in the first place, and then Harry hadn't even known how to store them properly to make them last.

All this was something the person introducing the Muggle-raised student was supposed to teach them about after they were done shopping and back in the students home. He sighed.

"Hagrid was not the best person to send to give you your letter last year." He said as he banished the stuff he deemed needing to be replaced.

"Hagrid is great!" Harry said angrily as Severus started holding his school robes against him to see if they would need refitted.

Severus sighed and dropped the robes into Harry's hands so he could see what else Harry would need for school. "I didn't say he wasn't, I merely pointed out that he wasn't qualified to introduce you to the magical world. There is a reason why only Heads of Houses are allowed to do it, and why said Heads of Houses have to be trained by the Ministry first. Take your potions equipment that I banished, for instance. None of them were properly taken care of or properly stored so they wouldn't go bad. Not your fault, nobody told you how to take care of them or how to store them. That would have been the job of the professor who came to give you your letter and bring you shopping for your school stuff. We will have to get your telescope looked at and possibly realigned too..." He muttered quietly.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Your school robes look like they will fit for another year, but that might not be the case in a few months when you are done taking your nutrient potions... we'll go ahead and get them refitted slightly bigger just for that... we will need to have growth charms added to them. This is another example of Hagrid not knowing what to do. He didn't make sure Madam Malkin knew to add the standard charms we usually have her put on for our Muggle-born students. The Pure-blood children, their house-elves can put them on no problem, but she has to be the one to do it for the Muggle-borns and those who don't have house-elves."

"Er..."

Severus looked up at the sheepish look on his godson's face and sighed. "He didn't even go with you into the shop, did he?"

"The Gringotts cart didn't exactly agree with his stomach..."

"So, he went to the Leaky Cauldron for a quick drink?"

Harry gave a half shrug and nodded. Severus shook his head. Honestly, that man...

He continued looking through Harry's trunk, surprised the only book he saw in there that wasn't on the first year book- list was a book on owl care. "I'm surprised the only extra book you have in here is this one. I would have expected it to be full of extra reading."

Harry grimaced. "I had to fight Hagrid just to let me get that one. Basically, if it wasn't on the list, I wasn't getting it."

Severus frowned. "Well, after the bookstore clears out of all those Lockhart fans, we will just have to fix that, won't we? The only books I will require you to get in there since you now have your mothers second year books will be the introductory books we have all Muggle-borns buy. And don't bother buying the Lockhart books, they may be on the list, but those, _things,_ " he sneered, "Aren't worth the parchment they are written on."

Harry beamed.

Severus smiled slightly again before he magically repacked Harry's trunk, noticing that Harry's Cloak and a photo-album with a picture of James, Lily, and baby Harry on the cover were carefully packed away in the corner while everything else had been thrown in. Harry saw him looking at the album and told him softly that Hagrid gave him that album at the end of last year while he was in the hospital wing. Severus subtly ran a scan on the contents of the trunk and disabled all the tracking and compulsion charms he found on almost everything before Harry closed the lid for him to shrink again before he put it back in the pouch. He really must thank Sharptooth later for providing Harry with that pouch.

Because of the charms on everything, he decided that they should get Harry a new trunk, one with better security on it than the one he had. Maybe make it a multi-compartment too... one of the compartments would of course be a library, he had a feeling Harry would be needed a trunk space like that soon. The one he currently had was the standard trunk sold to Muggle-borns with a lower budget. The ones who could afford a bit more usually got a slightly pricier model with security features or more than one compartment. For the Pure-bloods, of course, it was not uncommon for them to come to school with trunks holding full walk-in closets, their own bath, and a full study. To name just a couple of compartments. He'd even seen one with a professional dueling room in his. Really, what did a first-year need with his own professional dueling room?

* * *

Arthur took his youngest shopping for their school supplies, for once not going into the second-hand stores for everything. Instead, they were buying everything new. He thought back to what he learned in Sharpaxe's office about the Weasley Family Vaults and what really happened all those years ago. Now, he wondered if his memory too hadn't been messed with to make him think things had happened differently.

 _"Now, we can get to the Inheritance." Sharpaxe said as Molly and the three boys were led out of the room to go get the charms and blocks removed. As they left, a goblin in Healers robes stepped into the room and looked pointedly at Bill._

 _" **You should have been back in my infirmary half an hour ago, Master Weasley**." She said sternly, her tone of voice made all the Weasley's in the room look around for Madam Pomfrey._

 _Bill grimaced, and gestured at the potions on the desk, " **I know, something else came up, 15 more minutes? I will take whatever foul tasting potions you shove at me without complaining anymore."** He asked hopefully. Sharpaxe chuckled at his wheedling. The Healer looked at the Inheritance potions on the desk and raised an eyebrow. Then, she went behind the desk and conjured up a chair before plopping down into it. She then proceeded to watch Bill like a hawk. _

_Sharpaxe sighed, only Healers could get away with this kind of behavior, every goblin quickly learned to never come between a Healer and their patients, whether the Healer be goblin or human. They were scarier than the fiercest goblin warriors. He then held out the dagger and potion to Arthur, "Just a few drops, then make sure you mix it well before pouring it into the bowl." He said as he got the parchment out._

 _When Arthur was done with the dagger he handed it to Bill. Bill decided to wait until his fathers results were ready though._

 _"Dad, what do you want us to do at school?" Ron asked, pointing between himself and Ginny._

 _Arthur sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Depends on what Harry is doing right now." He said, looking at Sharpaxe._

 _He shrugged. "Right now, Harry is planning on simply not drawing Dumbledore's attention. I will be meeting with him again in a couple of weeks before the next Wizengamot meeting to go over plans in more detail. I will get the results of your tests to Madam Bones, she can add it to the list of crimes Dumbledore has committed since the Halloween the Potters died. Luckily, Dumbledore will be busy with the ICW during the next Wizengamot." he said as he put the parchment in the bowl and watched it start to soak._

 _Arthur nodded and the Weasley's started quietly making plans about how to stay low while at school regarding all they learned today. Arthur made sure his youngest knew to never look Dumbledore in the eye, since he was well known to be a Legilimens, and could easily read their minds and be able to know he was found out and the Goblin nation was onto him._

 _Finally, Sharpaxe took the parchment out of the bowl and put it to the side so Bill could pour his potion into it, which he had added his blood to a few moments before. Sharpaxe also took the Weasley Lordship ring out of the bowl. Arthur stared at it. He thought that thing was destroyed when their family was cast from the Wizengamot and their Family accounts closed._

 _The door opened and they all turned to see Quickjaw come in. "Quickjaw, what really happened all those years ago to our Family?"_

 _Quickjaw studied him for a moment before responding. "What really happened, Lord Weasley, is that your father borrowed money from the Malfoy family when the accounts suddenly drained dry with no explanation. Myself, Abraxus Malfoy, your father, and Stonethrow came up with a plan to pay them back, one that involved closing the Family accounts until it was paid, as it involved all income from the business investments going straight to the Malfoy family until the debt was paid. Which it was three years ago. You now have three years worth of accumulated wealth back in your Vaults and the account was reopened. However, you never returned to the bank to reclaim them._

 _It was agreed that the Vault itself would stay open and the Heirlooms would be untouched while the debt was paid off, so all of that is still intact. As for your Family being cast from the Wizengamot for illegal gambling, we have now managed to trace those accusations to Albus Dumbledore, as well as the sudden drain on your family accounts all those years ago."_

 _"But, then Dumbledore really did mess with my fathers memories, my father remembered gambling away all our fortune. He never mentioned anything about borrowing money or a payment plan to the Malfoys. He told me he lost the money gambling and all the accounts were closed out and seized to pay the debt he amassed. Same with the Family Farm."_

 _The office was silent for a moment while Sharpaxe wrote a letter to Amelia Bones, and then held out an empty vial, which Arthur gratefully took and gladly put the memory of that conversation into it after being told it would go straight to Madam Bones._

 _Quickjaw took Arthur's inheritance test and nodded, nothing surprising or new here, all Arthur inherited was the Weasley Lordship._

 _He then took Bill's when it was finished and raised an eyebrow. "Curse-breaker Weasley, you have only inherited the Weasley Heir-ship, I am going to assume that the way the Prewett line is set up that your younger brother would have inherited your mothers line?" He asked the Weasley men. Arthur nodded. Yes, the Prewett line was set up so that the second born would be the one to inherit if the first-born already inherited another line._

 _"Yes, I will message Charlie and ask if he can get some time off so we can come here and get all that settled." He pushed a hand through his hair. "I would go through the accounts right now with you, but I still have to take them school shopping, and this is the only day I could get off work."_

 _Quickjaw nodded, "I will assume by that statement that you still want me in charge of your accounts, then?" He asked carefully. Arthur nodded. Quickjaw nodded too. "Send me a copy of your work schedule and I will schedule an appointment to go over everything in detail. Until then, here are your Family Vault keys back." He said as he handed Arthur a key-ring with 5 keys on it. "I will call somebody to take you down so you may get some money out of the school trust vault for supplies. The Main Vault has recovered enough financially to start supplying that one again."_

 _Arthur nodded before he took the Lord's ring on the Sharpaxe's desk and put it on, grabbing the Heir ring and taking Bill's hand so he could put it on him. "I never thought I would see you wearing this." He said softly._

 _"It's not your fault dad, it's Dumbledore." Bill said. Arthur smiled at him before giving him a quick hug as a goblin arrived to take them down to the Vault._

 _He turned to Sharpaxe and bowed slightly. "Thank you for your time and assistance. It was much appreciated."_

 _"Just looking out for my client." Sharpaxe responded, nodding his head in return._

The trip down to the Vault had been silent, both Ron and Ginny were still shocked and trying to process that the reason they were dirt poor was because Dumbledore stole all their money and then modified their Grandfather's memory to make him believe he lost it all gambling.

Ron's eyes had widened when the Vault door opened and he saw all the money inside. Arthur sighed again before taking the money pouches from the goblin, "Do these have security measures on them?" He asked. When the goblin nodded, Arthur handed Ron and Ginny their pouches and handed them some money, explaining the security measures on them and telling them that what they didn't spend for school supplies while they were shopping was theirs to keep. "But, I expect you to spend it wisely. You will not go crazy just because you suddenly have money in your hands, I taught you better than that." He warned. He filled his with slightly more while pocketing the others to give Fred, George, and Percy later. He would give them their allowances then too.

After they got out of the bank, they decided to go ahead and get their books first. That turned out to be a mistake. Even now knowing what really happened, there were just too many years of hatred between him and Lucius Malfoy.

For years, he had thought that the Malfoy's had been the ones to take everything after his father was 'caught' gambling. Now, he knew that the Malfoys taking everything was because they owed the Malfoys a debt after they borrowed money to keep their Family from going completely broke. He suspected that even though the deal was for ALL their investment to go straight to the Malfoys, he had a feeling that their Account Managers had a side-agreement with each other that MOST of the Weasley's investment income would go to the Malfoys. He just couldn't see the vaults recovering enough that the School Trust Vault would be funded again otherwise.

"Hey," he said suddenly. "Ron, can I see your wand?" he asked. He suddenly remembered before today, they couldn't even afford to buy their children proper wands that fit them.

He shook his head when he saw the sorry state his sons wand was in, he touched the Unicorn Hair poking out of it and frowned. Why hadn't McGonagall said something about that? That was very dangerous, Ron could have been severely injured using a wand this damaged. "Alright, we are going to Ollivander's. You two are getting proper wands. Ron, has Professor McGonagall not asked you anything about this?" He asked as he led them to the wand-shop.

Ron shook his head and Arthur sighed again. He found himself hoping that McGonagall too was under potions and charms, and wasn't just neglecting her duties as Head of Gryffindor to see that the students were safe and had the proper equipment. Although, he supposed she was rather busy, being Head of the rowdiest group of students, being Deputy Headmistress, and being the Transfiguration Mistress as well.

He resolved to Floo the Professor later and ask her if she even noticed.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Gobbledygook_**

* * *

 _Ron shook his head and Arthur sighed again. He found himself hoping that McGonagall too was under potions and charms, and wasn't just neglecting her duties as Head of Gryffindor to see that the students were safe and had the proper equipment. Although, he supposed she was rather busy, being Head of the rowdiest group of students, being Deputy Headmistress, and being the Transfiguration Mistress as well._

 _He resolved to Floo the Professor later and ask her if she even noticed._

Severus ushered Harry into Madam Malkins, he figured they could get his measurements, place the order, and then do the rest of their shopping while the order was filled. That way, they didn't have to be sitting in there for hours doing nothing.

"Hello, welcome to Madam Malkins, what can I get for you?"

"He needs to be fitted for Hogwarts, but they need to be fitted a little bit bigger than he is to take into account the Nutrient Potions he has just gotten started on today. We also need to order a complete new wardrobe for everyday." Severus said, staring at the assistant as though daring her to say anything except to show Harry where the stool was.

Harry nervously flattened his bangs over his scar when Severus mentioned the Nutrient Potions. The last thing he wanted was for the papers to hear about the Boy-Who-Lived being on Nutrient Potions, because then they would go digging into why he was on them, which would lead them to the Dursley's, and then everyone would know how much of a burden he was on his own relatives! But wait, that wasn't right, how could he be a burden if he was paying for their whole lifestyle?

He didn't know Severus had already cast a light glamour to hide Harry's features.

The assistant just nodded and directed Harry to the stool like she was supposed to.

What happened next, was every man's worst nightmare.

30 minutes of being measured, while the assistant happily tried to find out what colors suited him best, and started naming all these colors that Harry didn't even know existed. Honestly, what was wrong with normal colors like red, brown, green, colors that Harry knew existed before now! After she had his measurements, she sat him down and started going over a catalog, going over different clothing designs! Finally, Hedwig had enough of all of it and screeched, flapping her wings for added affect. Harry reached through the link to soothe her nerves before saying, "I just want some shirts and pants."

She stared at him for a moment before going back to the catalog in her hands, then she looked at Hedwig before she wordlessly got up and brought back another one, this one with normal looking clothes (Normal for a muggle-raised kid anyway). Harry sighed in relief before choosing some that looked good and handing it back to her. She brought over an order form and started filling it out, "Did you want to place charms on those?" Severus looked as relieved as Harry felt that the torture was almost over. How did women enjoy this again? ( **A/N Before any girls reading this say anything, I am a girl, and I honestly do not understand how anybody can enjoy shopping.)**

"Yes, some growth charms, fire-resistant, and anti-wear charms."

"Fire- resistant?" Harry asked carefully.

"Tutoring." Severus said with a straight face.

"Wh-what exactly are we going to be doing?"

"You'll see."

Finally, after being in there for an hour, they escaped with a, "Your order will be finished and ready for pick-up in three hours!" Once on the street, Severus looked at Harry and figured he did a good job in there, he deserved some kind of reward. "Ice-cream?"

Harry started and debated saying no, but decided to just go with it. "After that?" Harry asked, jerking a thumb back to the shop behind them, "Yes please." He was trying really hard to avoid thinking about the fact that Professor Severus Snape just asked him if he wanted ice-cream. Was this what having a godfather was? Is this something they did?

"Your taking all of this very well, Harry." Severus said as they walked over to Florean Fortescue's. He glanced at Harry, when he saw his hand automatically go to a still ruffled Hedwig.

"To be honest, I'm not really letting myself think about it right now. I'm afraid that if I do, I'll just break down or something. I mean, how exactly do you cope with learning that your Headmaster, someone you admired and respected, has been stealing from you and even blocked off all of your abilities? It's a lot to take in all at once."

Severus hummed just as they entered Florean's, and he waited until they were seated with their ice-cream (Severus with just plain chocolate while Harry got raspberry with nuts) before he answered. "This is a lot all at once. You will talk to somebody though, if it gets to be too much, right?" He asked, concerned that Harry would have a melt-down if he didn't try to bounce ideas off of somebody.

Harry nodded and ate some of his ice-cream before he suddenly smirked. "If only people could see you now. The Great Dungeon Bat sitting out in the sunshine eating ice-cream." He teased.

Severus groaned. Thank Merlin for Notice-Me-Not charms. "My reputation would be ruined." He said, sitting back in his chair and staring at his ice-cream for a moment before taking another bite. Oh well, it was worth it to spend time with and get to know his godson again. It was amazing how quickly Harry was starting to become at ease with him. Considering how timid he seemed last year.

Harry grinned cheekily, "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

Severus mock growled, "Little imp." Harry laughed, the first Severus heard since the last time he baby-sat him when he was a year old. He decided he liked Harry's laugh. They finished their ice-cream exchanging random trivia about themselves, stuff like favorite color or favorite foods, Severus even told Harry about how he and Lily met!

"Ok, why don't we head to the luggage shop next, get you something with security on it." At Harry's confused look, "I undid at least 10 tracking charms and even more compulsion charms on all of your stuff, especially your Cloak, earlier when I was seeing what you needed for school. Trust me, you need a trunk with security on it. We can even make it multi-compartment, and one of the compartments could even be a library..." He said off-handedly. After that, all he had to do was walk faster in an attempt to keep up with Harry's rush to get to the shop. Severus shook his head.

"Good morning, gentlemen, what can I get for you today?"

"Multi-compartment trunk with every available security option. One of the compartments needs to be a library, although we will need to see a list of the other options." Severus said when Harry looked over at him, he nodded his head in agreement.

The shop-keeper grinned, "right away sir, here's the book," he said, handing them a small leaflet listing out the options for his trunk along with pictures and other options to customize each compartment with, "Call for me when you have decided, my name is Jack, I will just be in back getting a multi- out and the library put in for you. Ah, before I go, what wood do you want the shelving in?" He asked, flipping the page to the library.

When Harry looked to him, Severus motioned for him to choose, "It's your trunk."

Harry looked over the list, "How about... red oak? And, can you add the glass cases too? And put security charms on them." He wanted somewhere to put his family journals and the Grimiore while he had them with him. And whatever else old and rare books he might find.

Jack nodded. "I can do that. Call me when you have made your decisions." He walked in back and started doing what he said, only, he decided that this one would be extra special. After all, the two out in the front of the shop must not have noticed that the glamours covering Mr. Potter's scar had faded when they entered the shop as part of the security wards in place. And if the boy was coming back for a new trunk so soon, not to mention buying one with all the security he could put on it, and he could provide quite a bit of security having been a Gringotts Curse-Breaker and Ward-Master until a serious enough injury ended that career, then something must be going on. He wasn't stupid.

He'd heard the rumors about how awful Severus Snape was to Harry Potter, about how Severus Snape hated the boy. Yet, here Severus Snape was, treating the boy well. Snape had obviously gotten the boy new clothes as well, he looked much better in clothes that fit and weren't rags. And he'd wondered, last year, when Harry came into the store and left with a generic, standard Muggle-born school trunk, with absolutely no security charms whatsoever. Surely the Boy-Who-Lived would need some way to keep his stuff safe from creepy fans getting into it and taking 'souvenirs', or just messing with it just to say they touched Harry Potter's stuff?

No matter, it looked like that particular problem was finally being solved. In fact... He looked in the corner where he had a trunk resting, one that he'd already started with just this in mind. He'd forgotten about it. All it had on it so far was the Potter Crest carved into the lid, and the security wards in place along with shrinking and feather-light charms. It was made of dark mahogany, with gold fittings, it was multi-compartmented with the usual seven compartments, even if none of the compartments were yet filled as he had no idea what Mr. Potter would want in them. Well, now he knew that one of them would need to be a library. With Red-oak shelving and glass cases to keep the more rare and valuable books safe.

This trunk would be his master-piece.

Back out in the front of the shop, Harry was quietly going over the leaflet, asking Severus his opinion on some of the options. Severus had told him after Jack went to the back that unless it was specifically requested, multi-compartment trunks came with seven separate compartments. So far, it looked like a training room, a small kitchen for when he just felt like cooking, a potions lab that they would need to stock themselves (it came with two separate storage rooms, one for potions and one for ingredients. The ingredients storage room had a Green-house area for the ingredients that had to be used fresh), a space to store his quidditch gear, a standard school trunk space for his clothes (It would expand if needed), and an art studio.

When Severus questioned the art studio, Harry blushed and said that he had always liked to draw, but Dudley usually tore his drawings up, so he kind of just stopped drawing.

Severus just raised an eyebrow (inwardly he was seething) before advising him what features would be best to put in the potions lab (Like air-filters). They would visit the apothecary after they were done in here to get equipment. Finally, they called for Jack again.

* * *

Jack had just exited the trunk when he heard Snape calling his name. He had just finished putting the finishing touches on what he now saw as the most beautiful library he had ever created.

The glass cases gleamed in the lighting while the floor-to-ceiling oak wood shelves shined. Only the one who owned the trunk could move the books around once they were on a shelf or in a case, they were very much like the money pouches the goblins passed out to their wealthier clients in that regard. Beige drapes covered the enchanted windows, and in the middle of the room was a soft-leather couch, perfect for curling up to a good book. Or, if they weren't reading for comfort, but rather some serious research, there was a table and chair in the corner. Near the table was an Oak wood cabinet, already fully stocked with parchment, quills, and ink.

The floor was Mahogany, not quite as dark as the outside of the trunk, with rugs placed here and there. And looking over it all, was the Potter Family Crest. He was very proud of it. The best part was, he knew this library was going to be much loved and used.

He decided to go ahead and take the trunk with him back to the front, see if the library met with their approval before he started the other compartments. Somehow, though, he didn't see it not meeting their approval.

When he made his way up front, he had to hurry and explain how he knew it was Harry Potter when he saw Snape going for his wand after seeing the Potter crest on the trunk-lid. "My shop has security wards on it to strip concealing enchantments, much like Gringotts. Similarly, I can guarantee goblin-level security measures on the trunk, due to my old job as a Gringotts Curse-Breaker and Ward-Master. Contrary to popular belief, Curse-Breakers do more than just investigate and undo curses guarding old tombs." Snape relaxed when he finished his explanation about the shops security, and now he knew that Harry's trunk would be more than protected.

"As for this..." he said, motioning to the trunk fondly, "I made this a year ago in anticipation of you going to school, Mr. Potter. Unfortunately, when you came into my shop, Hagrid grabbed you a standard trunk with nothing extra, let you pay for it, and hustled you back out of the shop before I even realized it was you and could say anything."

Severus narrowed his eyes in thought. That wasn't right, Hagrid usually stopped to chat when he went to Diagon Alley for supplies. He wasn't one to just get in and get out, he considered it rude. Was it just because he didn't want Harry mobbed by adoring fans, or did Dumbledore tell him to just get Harry his stuff and get out in an attempt to keep people from saying anything about the Potter family that would make him ask the right questions?

"Why would you make a trunk just like that? This one looks expensive."

Jack smiled. "Because the Heir of House Potter deserves the best. My family owes yours everything. We were having some financial problems, my father made a couple of bad business decisions. It was to the point where we were trying to get one of the Houses to help us, none of them would. They all refused us. The Potters were spending the summer break at one of their properties outside the country, so they were the only House we couldn't ask. Anyway, we ended up having to borrow some money from the goblins to stay afloat and pay back our debts, but when the time came, we couldn't pay the goblins back. They don't appreciate that, they sentenced us to the mines to work off our debt or die trying.

Well, we were in the room, about to be port-keyed to the mine, when Lord Charlus Potter walked in, and paid our debt. He said that he got a message from Lady Bones about something going on, she wanted to help, but couldn't. She never said why, at least not that he told us. Anyway, he came home early to take care of it. He took us into the service of his family for two years, during our service, he gave me run of the Potter library so I could study for my chosen career, which happened to be Curse-Breaking, and paid for me to be able to go back to school. He also made sure to teach my father how to make better financial decisions so it never happened again."

Severus and Harry listened quietly. Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing, growing up with the Dursleys, he couldn't believe that anybody could just do anything for somebody else like that. Let alone somebody everybody else refused to help.

"The other Houses were stopped from helping if they wanted to, but didn't know why?" Severus asked.

"That's what Lord Potter said Lady Bones told him in her message. When we were walking out of the bank with Lord Potter, Professor Dumbledore came in. He said he had just heard and was on his way to see how he could help. Lord Potter didn't seem too happy to see him for some reason though..." Severus snorted. He knew why.

Albus Too-Many-Names Dumbledore had most of Magical Britain in debt to him in some way. Either financially, legally, or just when he helped them through a rough patch. The Houses didn't like that because they were the legal authority in Britain, and Dumbledore had started long ago to use the debt most witches and wizards owed him to get around that legal authority through 'favors'. Like when he was appointed Chief Warlock. Traditionally, and by law, the Chief Warlock could only be a current member of the Wizengamot already or a high-ranking member of the Ministry. Dumbledore was neither. However, his approval ratings by the public were so high that they had no choice. Since becoming Chief Warlock, he started restricting the Wizengamot's legal power and taking more and more of it for himself.

He only knew all of this because he was subjected to so many rants on the subject when he was in school by the Slytherin's who happened to be Heir to a House, and then later on by both James and Sirius. Even Remus to a point, but that was probably because before he was born, his father had been set to be the Chief Warlock when Dumbledore was given the position instead. So, yes, none of the Houses liked Dumbledore, he passed through laws they would never consider passing through, and Severus suspected he did it through a combination of memory modifications and suggestion potions, but he also knew that members of the Wizengamot were regularly checked for things like that, as were Ministry employees. So another suspicion was blackmail.

He still didn't know why the Marauders joined the Order when they all hated Dumbledore so much. Maybe they just hated the Dark Lord more. Severus made a mental note to have the goblins double check the financial situation Jack told them about, make sure it was really a bad business decision and that Dumbledore didn't have a hand in it. Maybe he could have the goblins take a closer look into the other people who were in debt to Dumbledore, see if maybe they couldn't do something to get rid of that debt, at least financially.

Jack suddenly clapped his hands, "Enough talk of the past, I brought this out here with me to show you the library, I just finished it when you called. Personally, I think it's my finest work."

Harry's eyes lit up. Jack grinned at him and beckoned him over. "Now," he started, pointing to a row of blank squares near the trunk lock, except for one, which had a book symbol on it. "Right now, the security features I have already installed are inactive. I'll help you activate them later once I'm done with the other six compartments. For now, anyone can get into it. These symbols, or rather, the symbols that will eventually be there, allow you access to the individual compartments. This book, is the library. Press on it, and open the lid."

Harry did what he instructed, and opened the lid to find a ladder leading down into it. He looked at Jack, who only gestured for him to go first.

* * *

At the bottom of the ladder, Harry opened a Oak door, only to gasp. It was beautiful, it was cozy and comfortable, it was perfect. He ran to the shelves and started running his hands over them, when he went to investigate the enchanted windows, the adults heard him mutter about how much he loved magic.

Jack shook his head, "How bad did Dumbledore mess up?"

"Bad. I trust there will be no word of us being here?"

"Of course not, like I said, my family owes the Potter's everything. After our service was up, Lord Potter helped us buy this shop, he was the first to invest in us. I am just happy somebody is helping him. I was concerned last summer when I realized who the small waif of a boy was leaving my shop, and then when I heard how you were treating him..." Jack looked at Severus out of the corner of his eye.

Severus snorted. "It's either treat him horribly in class and in front of the Death Eater children and still be there when he needs me, or find myself in Azkaban where I can never be there for him again." Jack just nodded.

They watched as Harry wandered over to the desk in the corner and investigated the cupboard beside it, looking at the quills and ink inside. After a minute, he stood in the middle of the room in front of the couch and started mumbling about how he would organize his books. The journals and Grimiore, would, of course be in the glass cases.

"Harry, come on, we still have more shopping to do." Severus called after a couple of minutes watching him.

Harry looked over and actually pouted a bit before he came back and followed the adults out of the trunk. Severus handed Jack the list they made of what compartments they wanted and the special options Harry picked for each.

Jack looked over the list and said, "I should be finished with this in two hours, at the most. Unless of course I get a sudden crowd of new Hogwarts students coming in... I believe the lists came out today?"

Severus nodded before he checked his watch. They still had two hours before their clothing order was ready to picked up. Plenty of time for them to visit the apothecary. Well, so long as he kept an eye on his watch and didn't keep Harry there for hours...

"How much will it be?" Harry asked. "I'm not taking it for nothing." He said before Jack could say anything.

It seemed like Harry guessed correctly because Jack's mouth snapped shut and he considered Harry for a moment before he sighed and muttered something like, 'noble Potters, never going to pay them back at this rate'. Louder, he said, "Custom-made multi-, 200 galleons, plus some extras... 250 galleons for the whole thing."

Harry nodded and dug out his money pouch to pay, giving Severus a look when he saw him reaching for his pouch. Severus raised his hands in the surrender position while taking a step back. He raised his eyebrows though, the standard, generic multi- trunk was around 400 galleons. 500 with the extras. (Security was included in the extras, as were the special options for each compartment). This was completely custom. 600 would have been the starting price, he figured with the extras, it would be closer to 750.

It was a testament to how little Harry truly knew about the wizarding world that he didn't know that.

He didn't say anything though, he just watched as Harry paid Jack. He knew the determination to pay someone back well when you owed them everything.

Jack took the money reluctantly and again promised the trunk would be ready in two hours as they left. When they were gone, he took the trunk to the back again so he could work in peace after calling his house-elf to mind the store and call him if any customers got difficult (more like disrespectful and abusive towards HIS elf).

* * *

Harry figured that he really shouldn't have been surprised when Severus steered him towards the apothecary after the luggage shop. He really should have been expecting it.

What he felt nobody could have seen coming was the way his new godfather went from dour Bat of the Dungeons to kid in a candy store almost the moment they stepped through the door.

He resolved to do better in potions from now on. So far, Severus had been good to him since the goblins rescued him and it was revealed the man was one of two godfathers. He didn't want to screw it up by doing awful in the man's favorite subject. He clearly loved it more than anything, even his reputation it seemed. He was going to be good so Severus didn't regret helping him like this.

"Let's get what you need for class first, then we will see about getting the equipment for your lab. Now, the potion kits are next to worthless. The ingredients aren't the best quality since they are for students or less serious potioneers, and they are also slightly more expensive then simply building your own kit." As he spoke, Severus led Harry over to the cabinets where they kept ingredients most used by Hogwarts students.

On the way, he grabbed an empty kit with slots in it for ingredients to be stored individually. Each slot was specially charmed to keep items from spilling over into other slots and causing cross-contamination. When they reached the cupboards Severus was looking for, he showed Harry where they kept parchments listing out the recommended ingredients for each Hogwarts year. He didn't need it of course, but he would need to know where they were for future reference when Harry came shopping without him.

He then proceeded to show Harry how to be able to tell the quality of the ingredients, passing him jars and ingredient pouches from the shelf beside them as needed. He explained that all the jars were spelled to be unbreakable and helped Harry put the proper charms on each slot as the ingredient was placed inside. Some ingredients required to be kept cool and dry, others required a moist storage environment. This was another advantage to building your own kit. You knew your ingredients were properly stored.

Some of the already-made kits lacked proper spells while others had all the proper charms. Others still, the charm-work on them was so sloppy they did more harm than good. You just never knew what you were getting with them. And then there was of course the poor quality of the ingredients themselves.

After gathering ingredients, Severus led (dragged) Harry over to the equipment. "Your cauldron is good for another year, two if you take proper care of it this year. Your other equipment though..." He said as he picked up a couple of silver knives to compare them so he could show Harry how to spot flaws in the craftsmanship that could affect ingredient preparation, which could affect the potion itself. After that, he moved onto the steel knife and then the stirring rods Harry would need for class. He set aside the better quality ones for once they were done gathering supplies for class and turned their attention to equipping the lab. "I will show you how to properly clean and sharpen your equipment later." He said as he grabbed a couple of whetstones and added them to the pile.

A spell was good in a pinch, but nothing beat doing it by hand.

He inspected the scales and then started comparing a couple of them, trying to show Harry how to tell when they were off-balance. "I will show you how to re-balance them later, using your old set. It is still a good idea to get a new set for class though. It is recommended that you get new scales every couple of years, no matter how good you are at re-balancing them."

After he was satisfied that Harry had everything needed for class, he sent him to the counter to pay for his items while he went back to the equipment to get the knives he set aside earlier. Instead of the one he grabbed for class, this time he grabbed several of each. Then he went to wait for Harry by the cauldron's after grabbing an extended and feather-light shopping basket. When Harry came back, Severus had him get his trunk out and open it up to put the school supplies inside. "This is my attempt to keep everything we buy straight, so we don't get everything too mixed up." He explained as he checked his watch and cursed in Chinese. They only had an hour left. Not long enough in his opinion.

He sighed before he grabbed and inspected four different sized pewter cauldrons, followed by four silvers, some bronze and one gold. "Different potions require a different type cauldron. All the potions brewed in class require pewter, however... eventually I hope to start you on slightly more complicated ones that will require the different cauldrons." He explained. He put all the cauldrons in the basket before leading Harry to the corner with gloves and aprons. Something Harry didn't have to worry about in class as the school provided those for the few potions they actually needed them for.

Harry was really surprised when he was led over to a corner where they apparently sold shampoo. When he looked at Severus, the man actually actually chuckled at the look on his face. "The fumes from brewing are what make my hair greasy all the time. This," he motioned to the shelves of shampoo, "is the only thing I have found that works to clean it. It's specially made just for Potion brewers. I brew so much I don't even bother with normal shampoo anymore." He said as he ran a hand through his hair. He had run back to Hogwarts that morning to get cleaned back up before coming back to the bank just in time for Harry to wake up.

"Ah."

"Yes, now. Ingredients." He said, checking his watch again. Fifteen minutes late. Great. He usually made it a point to be early to appointments or to pick things up. Oh well. This was a good reason to be a little late.

They went through the same process that they did with Harry's school kit, only this time Severus grabbed a satchel similar to what he used on his ingredient gathering trips. He hoped he could eventually take Harry on one of those trips, when they no longer had to worry about Dumbledore and the Dark Lord. He figured Harry would enjoy the chance to travel. From what he knew, Harry had been a total of four places in his life. Primary school, the Dursley home, Hogwarts, and Diagon Alley.

On their way to the counter, Severus grabbed a couple of boxes of potion vials. Each box contained around 100 vials, he would teach Harry how to spell them to be unbreakable as needed later.

The clerk raised an eyebrow when he saw their haul. "Building yourself a lab? Or did you blow your old one up?" He smirked until he actually looked up to see his old potions professor, Severus Snape, glaring at him, full force. It seemed he didn't appreciate the suggestion that he, the youngest Potions Master in history, could possibly blow up his lab. Blow up the cauldron during an experiment, yes, many times. The entire lab? NEVER.

The clerk gulped before quietly going back to adding up the price of their purchases and wrapping them up while Harry counted out the coins.

Severus smirked when he noticed the young man shaking. What this particular dunderhead was doing in an apothecary, he would never know. If anyone was capable of blowing up a lab, it was him.

After Harry paid, Severus reluctantly pulled him out of (in his opinion, anyway) the only shop worth spending any time in to go back to Madam Malkins. On the way, he noticed Harry cast a longing look at Flourish and Blotts and Quality Quidditch Supply. Well, it was a good thing he was already planning on stopping at those shops.

They stopped in Madam Malkins, picked up Harry's new clothes and got out. Both of them were in complete agreement that that was one shop not really worth their time to stay in.

Then they had to go back up the street to pick up Harry's trunk. Before they could get there, though, they ran into Arthur with Ron and Ginny.

"Ron! How'd it go at the bank?" Harry asked. He was worried about his friend being controlled.

"Fine, it went fine. Uh, we learned some stuff about the Headmaster, guess what? Turns out we never lost the Family Fortune. Our Grandfather didn't lose everything gambling." Ron said.

"What?" Severus asked, looking at Arthur.

Arthur nodded and smiled grimly. "Turns out the money just disappeared. Dad had to borrow money from the Malfoys so we didn't go completely bankrupt and made arrangements with the goblins for paying that debt back. According to them, that debt was paid back completely three years ago, and the Family vaults are recovered enough to supply the school vault again. Which means I can buy my children proper supplies for the first time. I've already gotten Ron a new wand, and Ginny can have her own too instead of Muriel's... By the way Severus, why haven't any of the teachers owled us about the condition of Ron's old wand?" He asked.

Severus frowned. "How bad was it?"

"The unicorn tail hair was poking out the end, and there were cracks in the wood. Ollivander almost called the DMLE on me for criminal negligence and child endangerment." He said.

Severus's eyebrows disappeared into his hair-line. "I honestly never noticed. Potions doesn't exactly require the use of a wand... I have no idea why neither Filius nor Minerva ever said anything."

Arthur frowned and pushed a hand through his hair, "I'll call Minerva later and ask her."

"Make sure you don't say anything that could make Albus suspicious about anything." Severus warned. Arthur nodded and sighed.

"I must go check and see if Molly and the boys are done in the ritual rooms. Although I have a feeling Fred and George are going to be kept by the Healers for a while. Albus put a partial block on their twin-telepathy." He said tiredly.

"What?" Severus hissed.

Arthur nodded. "I'm just thankful he had the sense to not completely block it."

Severus nodded grimly. That would have been the end of the Twin Terrors. He may not always like their pranks, but at least they pranked everyone indiscriminately. In fact, if there were a Slytherin-Gryffindor issue, the Twins were the ones he went to in order to get the Gryffindor point of view. They hated lying almost as much as he did, so they would tell him the true story as far as they knew it.

"What would have happened if it was completely blocked?" Ginny asked curiously, not sure if she really wanted to know the answer. She surprised herself when she spoke up, she hadn't wanted to say anything for fear of Harry thinking she was stupid.

Severus and Arthur looked at each other. "Lets just say the house would be a lot quieter... and emptier." Arthur said grimly.

Ron and Ginny gasped. No more Twins?

"Arthur, give this to Sharpaxe when you get back to the bank, you can just leave it with a teller or something, they will deliver it." Severus said, passing over the note he wrote earlier that day, while Harry was being fitted for new clothes.

Arthur nodded. "Well, we will let you get back to your shopping, come on you two." Ron and Ginny nodded and followed along behind, still trying to process what they just learned about their brothers. Severus nodded curtly to Arthur and swept away, leaving Harry to scramble along behind, waving to Ron as he did.

Both of them forgot all about the object Lucius Malfoy slipped into Ginny's cauldron.


	7. Chapter 7

**_Gobbledygook_**

 _"Arthur, give this to Sharpaxe when you get back to the bank, you can just leave it with a teller or something, they will deliver it." Severus said, passing over the note he wrote earlier that day, while Harry was being fitted for new clothes._

 _Arthur nodded. "Well, we will let you get back to your shopping, come on you two." Ron and Ginny nodded and followed along behind, still trying to process what they just learned about their brothers. Severus nodded curtly to Arthur and swept away, leaving Harry to scramble along behind, waving to Ron as he did._

 _Both of them forgot all about the object Lucius Malfoy slipped into Ginny's cauldron._

* * *

Several hours earlier that day...

Dumbledore sat in thought. The school letters went out today, which meant students would be flooding Diagon Alley today.

Maybe Potter would be one of them?

Whoever took him might not know that Dumbledore would be looking, which meant they wouldn't worry about Potter being seen in public. The question was, who should he contact to keep an eye on the Alley?

Alastor would be a good idea. Since his eye could see through Invisibility Cloaks, he would be able to spot Potter on the off chance that whoever had him were being cautious and had him wearing it. Although, he rather doubted that Potter would have told anyone about it. To be honest, he was still surprised the boy had told Weasley and Granger about it. He would have expected the boy to keep anything that used to belong to his parents a secret for fear of it being taken or damaged.

He should have taken the thing back at the end of last year. Used an excuse like the brat being irresponsible with it or something. Because now he had to deal with a powerful magical artifact being in the hands of a brat. Granted, the brat was loyal to him, but...

Yes, sending Alastor would be a good idea. He wouldn't tell anyone else. He didn't want people to find out he lost the brat, after all, he was supposed to be with a caring and loving family. How could Albus Dumbledore possibly lose him if he was happy where he was?

* * *

When they were about half-way to the luggage shop, Severus cursed under his breath in French this time (maybe he should hold off on teaching Harry any of these languages so he could still have something to curse in... Lily would kill him if he 'taught' her son to curse in multiple languages). He had completely forgotten to search Miss Weasley's cauldron for whatever Lucius put inside it. Irritated with himself, he quickly asked Harry to pull his school bag out so he could see if the boy needed a new one.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked as he handed his battered bag over. Severus decided it definitely needed replaced. With a bag containing expansion and featherlight charms woven into the material, and maybe some light security features.

"You forgot to remind me to speak with Arthur about searching Miss Weasley's cauldron." Severus said, "Oh, well. We will just have to keep an eye on her in school." He sighed when he noticed Harry looked horrified, and... afraid? He reached out and put a hand on the boys opposite shoulder, drawing him closer to his side. He didn't hug him, he didn't do hugs, but it seemed to be enough to calm the boy down, for now.

Once they finally reached the luggage shop, Severus had the feeling that they were being watched. When he looked around, he saw Mad-eye Moody standing there, staring at him and Harry with his one eye-brow raised.

Severus swallowed before turning to Harry, "Go inside, call Mipsy. Go over your new trunk, get the wards keyed to you, maybe put some of your lab equipment and your few books put away and organized. You are NOT to leave that building without me, do you understand? If you have to sleep on the couch in the library, do that. I will be in as soon as I take care of something. Alright? Go on." He turned Harry around and gently pushed him towards the door.

Harry felt a flash of fear, something was obviously wrong, but he nodded and went along. He glanced back at Severus before going in, but only got a nod to go in. Jack was happy to see him back, though. "Mr. Potter! There you are, where is Professor Snape?"

"Um, I think something came up outside... Mipsy!" He called.

"Master Harry called for Mipsy? Oh, Mr. Jack, how is you?" She asked, clearly excited to see Jack again.

Jack smiled. He missed this little elf, she had been very helpful when studying since there had been a few books he was forbidden from reading as those ones had held family secrets, (There was one he was allowed to read, and he was made to swear not to use those techniques for anyone other than the Potter Family. They didn't want those getting out or him getting in trouble for knowing them) stuff like the Potter Blood-Magics. Technically, Blood-Magic was illegal and branded 'Dark'. However... the Potter spells were unique, and since they were Family spells and created by the Family, never used or taught outside the Family, the Ministry couldn't touch them for it. No matter how many times the Ministry tried to demand that the Potters hand over all those spells and techniques to them for confiscation.

"I'm well Mipsy. It's good to see you again. What did Severus say?" He asked Harry.

"He told me to come in here, call Mipsy, go over my trunk, and to not leave the building without him, even if I have to sleep on the couch in the library." Harry repeated dutifully.

Jack nodded thoughtfully before he glanced at the door and mentally put a few of his dormant wards on active 'stand-by'. If he deemed there to be a threat, they could and would do some damage to the one Jack deemed threatening. They were normally dormant because the Ministry wouldn't exactly like the fact that they were there. Any scans they could possibly run though, only picked up active wards. So, leaving them dormant unless needed kept the Ministry's nose where it didn't belong.

He didn't say anything to Harry though, he just motioned the boy to follow him to the back where his trunk was. Once there, he decided to give Harry a tour before setting and activating the wards. They were going to be going in and out, after all. And once the wards were activated, other people would need Harry's express permission to get in. And that permission was only good for that one time, they would have to gain permission again once they left the trunk, even just to switch compartments to get something. He would leave Harry to his library after the wards were set.

He showed Harry the potions lab first, then the little kitchen, which Mipsy took one look at and immediately summoned another Potter elf to stock it with food. She would do it herself, but... until Mr. Severus came back, she was keeping her Master safe.

Of course, it took a bit to calm the elf down before he went for the food. He was a little too excited to see the 'Young Master' again. After that, they investigated the training room, which came equipped with training dummies and even a few sets of Muggle exercise equipment and an indoor track. The Quidditch space had racks for brooms and some cases to keep balls in, as well as a couple of shelves for his uniform or other gear and drawers for other equipment. Jack showed him how to to expand his clothes compartment, and they stopped the tour with the art studio.

It was light and airy, with floor to ceiling enchanted windows making up one wall, letting the 'sunshine' in. Jack showed him how to change the windows to whatever he wanted. The way the windows were set up, Harry could use them as a back-drop to his drawings or paintings. He could change them to whatever he wanted; a spring meadow, a mountain area, a winder wonderland, a storm with or without lightning, whatever he wanted. If he wanted to 'freeze' the weather in the window, he could do that too.

He could have some fun with that one.

All the compartments in his trunk more or less followed the same color theme of the library with warm browns and reds. They all had an owl perch in them somewhere (all made of dark mahogany with brass fittings), and they all had the Potter crest on a wall somewhere. Finally, Harry followed Jack back out of the trunk so they could set the wards.

"Alright, to set the wards to yourself, simply prick a finger and apply it here." He said, pointing to a spot on the latch. When Harry did that, Jack waved his wand over the trunk and muttered the spell to activate the wards.

When he was satisfied that was done, he turned to explain the basics of what the wards were and what they did. One was designed to stun whoever tried to force their way in for two minutes, before that two minute mark, they received shocks of electricity in increasing strengths as a warning. There was a proximity ward to let Harry know when somebody was close to his trunk as well as an identity ward so he could tell who it was. Even now, Harry could feel a person registering in the wards.

"If you know the person, the wards will register their signature and 'inform' you of who it is." He explained when Harry looked confused over how the wards knew exactly who was standing there with him.

There were a few other wards on it that could get nasty to anyone who tried to break through them, the level of lethalness to them depended on the amount of force the other person was using. The other ward that stunned was for people who were just trying to force the latch, but not trying to mess with the wards. Some of them, Harry could choose whether or not to activate whenever he felt like it, such as the Notice-Me-Not and Muggle repelling wards, along with the anti-summoning charms. The only reason that one could be turned on and off was in case Harry ever needed to summon his trunk to him for whatever reason. Harry was also connected with the wards in a way that if he had somebody in there with him, and he wanted them out but they were being difficult, he could simply expel them.

The wards were also set up in a way to mask any and all under-age magic he might use inside the trunk. What was the use of having a training room if he couldn't use it outside of school after all?

The last thing Jack showed Harry was how to shrink and resize his trunk, as well as how to give people permission. "To shrink it, simply place your hand here in the center of your Family crest, and think about it shrinking. To resize it, put your finger on the same spot and think about it being full size again. To grant permission, you will have to follow these directions to set a password, that only you will be able to know, the password itself will automatically be under a Fidelius charm by the wards themselves." He said as he passed over the parchment with the directions on it. "For now, say, 'I, Harry James Potter, give whatever this person's name is, permission to enter.' Obviously you will be using the person's name, not saying what I did." With that, he left Harry to explore on his own.

As he walked back to the front of his shop, he noticed Severus walking in, looking both relieved and annoyed.

* * *

Severus watched Harry walk into the store before he schooled his features to his 'public face'.

If anyone were to see him like he was earlier with Harry, they might have had a heart-attack at the absence of his usual sneer. He knew he probably already scared the youngest Weasley boy earlier.

As soon as Harry was in, he swept across the street to lean against the wall beside Moody.

"Are you patrolling for Harry on Dumbledore's orders?" He asked after Moody put up the privacy ward.

"Of course. I was rather surprised to see YOU with him. Everyone knows how you treat the boy in school." Moody said, looking at Severus suspiciously.

Severus stiffened. "I would remind you that I am one of the boys godfather's as well as a spy for the Order, and I acted like that on Dumbledore's orders. It was either that or end up in Azkaban never to see the boy again."

Moody snorted. "You know full well that I never trusted you."

"Then trust James and Lily. As they clearly trusted me."

"Yeah, well, they also trusted Black. Look where that got 'em."

Severus felt a flash of anger before he forced himself to Occlude and calm down. Then he hesitated, this was the first time since That Night he'd actually had a chance to tell the grizzled old Auror the truth without Dumbledore around. The question now... did he trust the man not to run straight to Dumbledore now and tell him all about this? Glancing at him, he felt that he had no choice. He had to say _something,_ he would just have to hope and pray it would be enough for the other man to leave it be.

"And if I were to tell you that Sirius Black wasn't the traitor? That the real traitor is named in their Wills? And that Albus Dumbledore won't let the Wills be viewed as evidence to get Black the trial he _never received_ in the first place? If I were to tell you that Sirius Black Blood-adopted Harry Potter?" Severus asked as he turned to completely face Moody. He bored his eyes into the other mans with an intensity that scared most people.

'Luckily, Mad-eye Moody is not most people.' He thought absently as Moody's gaze seemed to sharpen as he too, considered Severus.

"Then I would say, that perhaps I don't know Albus like I think I do. If what you are saying is true, then Albus would have a lot to answer for. And perhaps its a good thing that Albus not find out the boy is with you" Moody said slowly. "Be prepared for me to visit." He barked suddenly. Then he dropped the privacy ward and started to walk away. "But Snape!" He suddenly called, turning back around. "If you can't provide proof of your claims at the next Wizengamot session..." Moody let himself trail off threateningly.

Severus only paused in his walk across the street before he just kept walking.

He was relieved, they already had plans of proving the claims he made to Moody at the next Wizengamot session. And, as an added bonus, Dumbledore couldn't attend. This session happened to be at the same time as an ICW conference. Which meant, he wouldn't be there to make excuses. And by the time he came back, the Wizengamot Lords would have time to think and remember just why they disliked him and his ways. Not that they ever forgot, but... sometimes it seemed like it. Especially the Light side. As long as what they presented the Wizengamot was enough to satisfy Moody, Severus's job at Hogwarts was safe, and he didn't have to risk Azkaban time.

It was, after all, difficult to keep somebody safe when you were in prison.

A concept he was going to curse into Sirius Black's head the moment he was released from St. Mungoes after his trial. He would get it through that thick skull somehow.

And then the two of them would hunt down Remus Lupin and curse the concept of sticking around into HIS thick skull. Honestly, where on earth did that wolf go?

"There you are, Mr. Potter is in his trunk right now. Mipsy has also already ordered another elf to stock the kitchen, by the way. Was everything alright?" Jack asked when he entered the store.

"Yes, everything is fine now. I'll go get Harry." He said as he picked up a forest-green bag from the shelf that had feather-light and expansion charms woven into it, as well as light security features. He paid and started walking back. Jack nodded and said nothing as he took the money.

Since he knew the wards would be active, he had no idea how he was going to get in and/or get Harry's attention, but luckily he didn't have to do anything. Because after a few moments of standing by the trunk, Harry poked his head out.

"Your back! Is everything alright? Are we going to keep shopping?" Harry asked quickly.

Severus blinked, once again reminded of Miss Granger when she got going and the boys weren't quick enough to head her off. He didn't say anything though, he just nodded. "Just one moment then, I'll be right back." Harry said before he disappeared back into the trunk. Severus looked at the now full row of symbols and saw that he small cauldron was glowing. Which meant he must be in the lab.

Huh. He was expecting the boy to be in the library. Although, he supposed an empty library wasn't really worth being in... Once he got books in it though...

When Harry popped out again, he said, "I was putting my lab stuff in there, so far I only got so far as putting the knives in the drawers and the ingredient satchels in the storeroom. Everything else is just sitting on a counter."

Severus nodded. "I will help you organize it later to what seems most comfortable for you. I'll also help you organize the storeroom, there are some ingredients that should never be stored near each other, ever. They tend to have violent reactions if mixed improperly, and accidents do happen." He warned as he handed over the bag he picked up a few minutes ago and watched as Harry shrunk his trunk and put it and his new school bag inside the pouch still hanging at his side.

Surprisingly, he didn't say anything about Severus paying for it.

Harry nodded. That's when Jack came back. "I forgot to mention earlier, the trunk is also warded against all House-elves not bonded to the Potter Family. Since it's a Potter Blood-Ward holding them all to the trunk..."

Severus stared at him. "I thought those were a closely guarded family secret."

"They are. I told you Lord Potter opened up the Family Library for me to study from? Well, the Family Magic books were all forbidden for me to read, except for one. And I was made to swear an oath to never reveal that I knew those techniques or use them for anyone not a Potter." Jack explained. "I told you, I owe the Potters a lot."

Harry was silent for a moment, "Thanks for your help." He finally said, sticking his hand out. Hedwig hooted in agreement from her perch on his shoulder.

"It was my pleasure. I wish you luck this year." Jack said with a smile, taking Harry's hand. He gave Severus a nod.

Severus nodded back before leading Harry out of the shop while he ran a mental checklist of what they still needed yet. They got clothes, potions supplies, a new trunk and bag, got his wand checked and a holster, and got Hedwig treats and mice. He supposed that all they needed now, school-wise, was the book-store, and they didn't really need anything on the list since Harry had his mothers old books now. After that, a visit to the Quidditch store was in order, as well as that art store he thought he remembered seeing down the Alley. Then, he supposed that that would be all they needed in Diagon. After that, a trip to Muggle London.

He would probably take Harry to a Muggle book-store, there were a few series he thought the boy would enjoy. Maybe a Muggle clothes store as well... or even the mall. Get him a few toys or something appropriate for his age. After all, the boy never had any growing up. Despite the many presents he wanted to send the boy but didn't, knowing they would never reach him.

First though, lunch. He should have gotten Harry something to eat an hour ago.

* * *

Sharpaxe leaned back in his chair and sighed. He had finally finished writing the last of his letters to the members of the Potter Alliance, requesting a meeting with him in three days. He would have to go and reserve one of the conference rooms, he was going to talk to them all at once, hopefully it wasn't too late.

" ** _Enter_." ** He called when he heard a knock on the door.

 ** _"Sir, the Weasley's are finished in the ritual room, and the Healers have kidna- taken the Twins to the infirmary for the night to make sure that they are alright after opening the connection after so long of it being closed. Also, Lord Weasley has returned for his family from school shopping, he had this."_** The goblin handed him a note. " ** _He told the teller that Lord Prince-Snape gave him this."_**

Sharpaxe raised an eyebrow before he opened the note to read it, " ** _Well, well, well. Looks like we should look into financial debts Dumbledore has helped people get out of, find out how many of those debts were caused by Dumbledore pulling the strings in the background."_** He murmured.

 ** _"Take this down to the records room. They will know what to do with it. And see if Curse-Breaker Weasley has been fre- discharged from the infirmary yet. He is leading the Horcrux team."_** He ordered. The goblin nodded and left.

 _ **"Well, the Potter family did always make the world an interesting place. I've almost missed this. The world has been too quiet the past decade, and now Heir Potter isn't back for two days and he already has the world jumping. I haven't had so much fun in years."**_ Sharpaxe mused to himself and grinned.

 _ **"But first, those thieving relatives need to be dealt with."**_ He said as he pulled out a fresh parchment and got busy writing to a contact Gringotts had within the Muggle police department. The contact was a Muggleborn parent, so they wouldn't have to worry about any magical's triggering Dumbledores wards.

* * *

"Severus! Didn't all the Muggleborns get their school supplies weeks ago?" Tom asked as Harry and Severus walked into the Leaky Cauldron. Harry's scar was once again covered and he had a light glamour covering the rest of his features too.

"Yes, well, this ones parents were being difficult. They finally said he could go today." Severus said. It wasn't even a complete lie.

The Dursleys were being difficult, the fact that it was last year was just a minor detail.

Tom nodded, "They didn't want to come shopping either, huh?" He asked.

Severus shook his head. "You know how it is sometimes." Tom didn't ask anymore questions, just took their order. Although he did give Harry a sympathetic look.

"When we are done here, we will be stopping by the Quidditch store. And I think there was an art store somewhere down the Alley. If there isn't, I was planning on taking you to the mall later today anyway. And don't forget we still have to stop by Flourish and Blotts." Severus said as they got their food. He chose to ignore the way Harry hovered over his.

In his experience, if you made a big deal about it, the child only retreated further into themselves.

Then he frowned when he noticed how Harry was squinting. This was the first chance he really had to study the boys eyes, when they stopped for ice-cream, Harry was looking around the Alley. "Maybe we should add a trip to the oculist later. If we can't today then I can speak with Madam Longbottom about taking you sometime before school starts." He said.

When Harry looked up, surprised, he sighed. "You do know what that is, right?" Harry shook his head. "It's the eye doctor, Harry. You've never been to one, have you?"

"No. Aunt Petunia took these out of the charity box somewhere." Harry said.

Severus sighed. It was really a miracle he made a such good Seeker if that was the case. "Those glasses are probably making your eyesight worse then." Then he had a thought. "You HAVE been to a doctor though, right? Because I know Madam Pomphrey didn't see you with the rest of the Muggleborns."

Harry shook his head. "Aunt Petunia said Freaks didn't need medical care. Besides, I've never gotten sick."

Severus sighed and had to fight down another urge to go and kill the Dursley's. He had to keep reminding himself that they were soon going to be spending the rest of their life in the Goblin Mines. "Sick or not, you should have still gone to get your shots at the very least. I will speak with Madam Longbottom about taking you to see a Healer too. Wizards are susceptible to different diseases than Muggles are, and you need those shots. The Goblins wouldn't have picked up the lack of those since they, too, have different diseases than us."

He finished his food and leaned back to watch Harry finish his. When he started to look like he was forcing himself, again sharing with Hedwig, Severus stopped him so he didn't make himself sick. Then he reminded Harry to take his Nutrient Potion, which the boy did with a grimace.

"Why can't anyone figure out how to make potions taste good?" He grumbled.

Severus smirked slightly. "Don't worry, I found a trick to it, they still taste bad, mind you, but they are better. Now come, we have shopping to do still."

When they were walking, Harry suddenly spoke again, "Dudley told me about shots when he went, he said it barely hurt him, but that Freaks like me wouldn't have been able to handle it. He also said that when I went crying for my mommy, that not even she would have cared enough to come help." He said so quietly that Severus almost thought he misheard.

"Harry, your mother loved you very much. If somebody was hurting you, she would have come running, and then she would have hexed whoever hurt you to the moon and back, before hexing their bits off." He said as he laid a hand on Harry's shoulder gently.

Harry nodded but didn't say anything. But he looked up when they stopped outside the Quidditch store.

* * *

Severus decided it was probably best for him to stay by the door, out of the way of the Quidditch fanatic crowd. Who were mostly all crowded around the latest broom, the Nimbus 2001. He groaned internally. He just knew Draco Malfoy would be showing up to Hogwarts this year with that broom, and trying out for the Quidditch team, if Severus was lucky.

If he was unlucky, Draco Malfoy would be showing up with that broom, plus six others as a 'generous donation' from Lucius Malfoy. A donation he should take as a 'request' to put Draco on the team. Probably as Seeker so Draco could compete against Harry.

That was a request he was going to have to grant if he was going to keep up appearances, despite the fact that he would much rather give Draco Malfoy detention for the rest of the school year for daring to try and bribe him. Him! Severus Snape! The man the Order saw as their spy, and who the Death Eaters saw as their Lord's right-hand man. Even if he was spying for the Potter's at the time, there was a very good reason why he was the Dark Lords right-hand.

He briefly considered buying Harry one just to keep the playing field even, but decided not to since Harry could probably fly circles around Draco no matter what broom either boy was on. He was just a natural flyer like that. Besides, there was absolutely nothing wrong with Harry's current broom that he knew of. And, while he did want to spoil his godson a bit since he knew the boy never had anything growing up, he didn't want to spoil him too much.

One of the things he despised was parents who spoiled their children beyond reason.

For now, he watched as Harry studied a pair of Seeker gloves for a bit before he finally decided to get them and wandered across the store to investigate the polish and a pair of trimmers before grabbing an order form off a rack before he finally turned to study the 2001.

It was clear to Severus that he wanted it, since he kept touching the pouch tied to his waist that had his 2000 in it, like he had to keep reminding himself that he had a perfectly good broom already.

"Harry." Severus said, coming up from behind him, making him jump. "We have more shopping to do yet." He reminded the boy once he calmed down again.

"Oh, yeah, didn't you say something about an art supply store?" Harry asked as he reluctantly turned away from the broom and towards the counter to pay for his stuff.

Severus nodded. "I'm not sure if it is there or not, though. I usually only come to the Alley when I'm escorting a Muggleborn first-year or coming to the Apothecary for equipment. I've never paid attention to the stores not needed for school supplies." He explained.

Harry nodded but followed along anyway, taking one last look at the 2001 as they left.

Sure enough, there was an art supply store at the end of the Alley, according to the person they stopped to ask anyway. On the way there, Severus stopped and pointed down a side-alley, the sign said it was called Knockturn Alley.

"That, Harry, is Knockturn Alley. There are a few good stores down there, deep inside. You will NEVER go down there without myself or Sirius with you, is that understood? It is a popular place for Dark Wizards, thieves, you name it, Knockturn has it. That is not a place for children, especially not you." Severus said sternly.

"Yes sir." Harry said softly. He didn't know if he wanted to go down there, even if his godfathers were with him. That place looked creepy.

"Good." Severus said, starting to lead Harry away again.

When they got to the art store, Severus again stood by the door and let Harry run wild in the store.

Despite the fact that Harry said he gave up on drawing years ago, and never really had supplies to paint, he seemed to know what he needed. At some point, Harry walked back towards him with his arms full of pencils, brushes, and erasers, only to find an amused looking Severus holding a basket out for him to put his stuff in. Once it was all dumped in the basket, Harry went back to shopping, barely remembering to take the basket with him.

Severus shook his head as he watched Harry continue to fill the basket with paints, sketchbooks, canvas, and easels. At some point, Harry had a conversation with one of the shop assistants about some enchanted paint he found. Apparently that was how they got portraits to move, they enchanted the paint and then added some of the portrait subjects hair, kind of like polyjuice, in Severus's opinion.

Harry hesitated for a moment before grabbing some of that to experiment with a bit. According to the lady, if he wasn't painting a person, then whatever scene he did paint would still move. So, he could paint himself a fireplace, and have a constant fire hanging on his wall if he really wanted to.

He also grabbed a book on enchanting your own paint and other supplies.

Somehow, Severus didn't think Neville Longbottom would be seeing much of Harry in the next few days as he put stuff away and organized his trunk how he wanted it. Well, unless Longbottom asked to help or something.

When Harry finally paid and came to stand in front of Severus, still putting packages away in his pouch, he raised an eyebrow, "You do plan on eating and sleeping in the next few days, _right_?" He stressed the last word so Harry knew it wasn't just a question.

"Yup!" Harry chirped. The Quidditch and art store must have put him in a better mood than Severus thought they would.

"Good, and I'm sure Mr. Longbottom would be happy to help you put your stuff away too." He said off-handedly, hoping it would be a good reminder to Harry not to accidentally ignore Neville in his excitement of having stuff to call his.

"I'll ask him, don't worry." Harry promised as they went inside Flourish and Blotts.

"Alright, the only books I am going to require you to get will be the introductory books I mentioned earlier, and this Defense book. Other than that, you already have the books for this year." Severus said. As he spoke, his hand shot out and grabbed the Defense book he had just mentioned to Harry.

He put it in the basket he had grabbed on their way in and handed it to Harry before leading him over to the introductory books he wanted Harry to have. They were introductory books on the different subjects at Hogwarts, there was one on the basic laws of the British Wizarding Community, and another on the general culture. The only problem Severus had with that last one was that they left out so much. There were so many practices the Ministry outlawed purely because the Muggleborn parents wouldn't let their children have anything to do with the wizarding world if they knew about them. Which, of course, was the original reason the Purebloods hated Muggleborns and Muggles so much. The reason just, devolved over time to what it was today of simple inferiority because they didn't have magic.

Once Harry had those, he let him run wild again while he himself went to check out the Potions section. He soon found himself browsing through a new book, trying to see what modifications he could make. He found one potion that he was honestly amazed it worked as it was. There were so many mistakes he found in the recipe. It may work without blowing up on the brewer, but it wouldn't be nearly as effective as it could be the way it was. The rest could just use some minor modification. He decided to go ahead buy it, and write the modifications in before sending it in to the Master's Conference anonymously like he usually did.

They met once a year to discuss the latest discoveries and go over any problems with the potions as they were and any changes that could be made, or to approve a potion for public use. Since he was a Master, he had a seat in that conference.

He had a feeling the other Master's knew it was him always sending in those books to be modified. He was well known for his skill after all, especially when it came to getting the best results out of a potion.

When he went to the counter to pay, the assistant took one look at him and got really excited for some reason. "Professor! You must be so excited to be working alongside a man like Gilderoy Lockhart. Why, he could probably show even you a thing or two about Defense." He said.

Severus barely refrained from hexing the man for the insult to his skills. Then the rest of what he said caught up with him and he groaned.

"That useless idiot is teaching? Great."

"What do you mean, useless? He's great!"

Severus leveled a glare at the dunderhead in front of him. He vaguely remembered teaching this man years ago... he must have been a sixth year or something when he first joined the staff at Hogwarts. "I would suggest the next time you read one of his books, you check the facts in a reputable defense book or even a Magical Creatures book. You will find that all of his 'facts' are complete and utter garbage. Check the timeline in his books too. If he really had done any of those things, he would have had to have been in multiple locations at once. A feat impossible even with a Time-Turner due to the distance between the locations." Severus said and watched as the assistant's eyes widened and he just stared.

He was about to go on when he was tapped on the arm, followed by a young voice saying, "I think you broke him, sir." Harry said as he put his basket on the counter beside Severus's book, which had been paid for while Severus ranted about how much of a fraud Lockhart was.

Severus snorted and muttered 'Dunderhead' under his breath, getting a small laugh out of Harry, before snapping his fingers under the mans nose to get his attention.

A few minutes later, when they were both leaving, Severus looked over his shoulder just in time to see the assistant placing a monitoring charm on the counter, grabbing the nearest Lockhart book, and rushing off to the Defense section, grabbing a book on Creatures on the way.

He smirked. He had a feeling that Flourish and Blotts would soon put Lockharts books in the Fiction section of the store, either that or request an investigation done on Lockhart.

"Alright, you exchanged some gold for Muggle money, right?" Severus asked. Harry froze for a moment as he thought about it before he slowly nodded his head.

"Good. The clothes the goblins gave you could pass for Muggle clothes easy enough, so that won't be a problem. First stop, there are some Muggle fiction series I think you might enjoy." He said as they walked. "First though, have you read about or heard about Apparition at some point while at Hogwarts last year?"


	8. Chapter 8

_**Gobbledygook**_

 _"Alright, you exchanged some gold for Muggle money, right?" Severus asked. Harry froze for a moment as he thought about it before he slowly nodded his head._

 _"Good. The clothes the goblins gave you could pass for Muggle clothes easy enough, so that won't be a problem. First stop, there are some Muggle fiction series I think you might enjoy." He said as they walked. "First though, have you read about or heard about Apparition at some point while at Hogwarts last year?"_

About a half hour and a very uncomfortable first side-along for Harry ("I'm never doing that again!"), later, Severus was leading him into a Muggle bookstore and was practically dragging him over to the books he thought Harry might be interested in. If he wasn't, well, he tried and Harry would then be free to run wild to find something he was interested in. They naturally sent Hedwig to fly ahead to the Longbottom Manor. They couldn't exactly take her around a Muggle shopping mall after all.

When they got to where Severus wanted to go, Harry went straight for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Severus smiled slightly and passed him the Hobbit.

"You might want to read this before you get into those." He recommended. "A few things in those might make a bit more sense if you know who they are talking about and what the events were." Harry nodded his thanks and went back to browsing.

In the end, they walked out with the Lord of the Rings, Tom Sawyer, the Chronicles of Narnia, and a few others Harry thought looked interesting or remembered seeing in the school library the few times he snuck in. Harry also happened to grab a few biographies and scientific books. "Just because I'm a wizard and can do things science says can't exist, doesn't mean I can't keep up with it, I mean, they've discovered things that wizards don't seem to be able to explain, simply because they don't want to pay attention to something so Muggle. Maybe if they paid more attention to genetics, there wouldn't be so much inbreeding." He explained. He also grabbed a math workbook so he could make an attempt at keeping up with his Muggle studies.

Besides, he had a lot of money to keep track of now! Sure, Sharpaxe was doing most of the work, but he didn't want to be lazy and not know what he had simply because he couldn't add up all those numbers.

After a quick stop for a few more Muggle clothes, mostly stuff to train or lounge around the house in plus underwear, and new shoes, Severus apparated them back to the Leaky Cauldron, where they finally flooed to the Longbottoms.

Since Harry never flooed before, Severus went with him so he wouldn't get lost. The last thing he needed right now was Harry ending up somewhere like... Borgin and Burkes, or the Malfoys by accident.

When they arrived, Harry was so busy looking around in amazement that he didn't notice the little elf appear. "Can I be's helping you, sirs?" He squeaked.

"Yes, tell Madam Longbottom that Harry Potter and Severus Snape are here. She should be expecting us." Severus said smoothly.

"Oh, yes sirs, we is. We is just finishing Mr. Harry's room. I be's getting Mistress." The elf popped back out just as Mipsy popped in.

"The trunk kitchen be's stocked with food." She reported happily, glad to have someone to make reports to and inform that the job was finished. All the Potter elves she oversaw were overjoyed that the Young Master had been found again, the Manor was sparkling more than it ever had when Master Charlus and Mistress Dorea were still alive. Even though she told them Young Master might not visit the Manor for a while.

Harry smiled at her, "Thanks Mipsy." She beamed. It felt good to be thanked for her work again.

Just then Augusta and Neville Longbottom walked in. "Hi Harry." Neville said, smiling shyly.

"Hey Neville! How's your summer been so far?" Harry asked the other boy.

"Great! I got some new plants for my Greenhouse, do you want to see them later?" He asked eagerly, all signs of the shy boy Harry knew was gone. Until he noticed Severus behind Harry, anyway. He squeaked, "P-p-professor! I d-didn't, um, didn't see you t-there." He stuttered.

Severus grimaced mentally, he knew he scared the boy, but was it really this bad? Out loud, he said, "No problem, Mr. Longbottom, perhaps later you can help Harry set up his lab's greenhouse?" He suggested, Neville's eyes widened before he nodded. Severus nodded too, "I'm just dropping Harry off, but before I go, I would like to help organize his ingredients, and I would like to speak with you, Madam Longbottom, before I go as well." He said, turning to Augusta, who had been watching the boys interact with a soft smile on her face that was rarely seen. So far, she seemed to have decided to ignore the fact that Harry was completely ignoring her, a complete breach of etiquette.

She nodded and moved to say something, until she noticed Mipsy tugging on Harry's pant leg. When he looked down, he was confused for a moment as to why she was looking up at him with wide, pleading eyes before he remembered that Sharpaxe told her to ask Madam Longbottom if she could stick around and take care of him. He gestured for her to go ahead and ask, not quite sure why she seemed to be asking for permission.

She stepped forward with her head held high, "I's being Mipsy, I's the Potter Head Elf. I being wanting to stay with Young Master, I is not seeing him for so long." Her ears drooped again with her sadness over not being able to take care of Harry all these years. Harry put a hand on her head, between her ears.

Augusta and Neville were confused. "How are you not seeing him for a long time?" She asked gently.

"Magic be hiding the Young Master! Potter elves not be finding him since Master James and Mistress Lily being killed by bad wizard!" She wailed. Harry dropped to the floor beside her and wrapped an arm around her, trying to calm her down, but not knowing what to do. Men and a woman's tears don't mix.

Augusta smiled at the little elf. "If you want to stay you are more than welcome to. I will inform Moppy that you will be primarily taking care of our guest."

Mipsy bowed slightly in gratitude before she reached up and snatched Harry's 'pouch of stuff' from his belt. "Where be Young Master's room?" She asked, still drying her eyes.

"Moppy!" Augusta called in response, "Show Mipsy here to Mr. Potters room, she will be taking care of her Master while he is here. After you show her the room, show her where everything is." She instructed when the elf appeared. She turned back to Mipsy and Harry, "Moppy is the Longbottom Head Elf, he will take care of her." She assured Harry.

Harry nodded before he had a thought. "Hey, Mipsy, let me organize my trunk how I want it ok? But if you want to go ahead and unpack things, go ahead. And if you could put the family books in their cases?" He asked. She nodded eagerly, "I cans do that." She said before popping out with Moppy.

Augusta nodded in approval of how Harry dealt with his House-elf before motioning for everyone to follow her. "It is good to finally meet you, Mr. Potter, however, from what little... Griphook told me, there was a... problem, with your last residence? He did not tell me what though." She barely refrained from calling him Prince, he had also told her that the Goblins wanted as few things distracting Harry before the next Wizengamot session as possible.

Harry turned red before mumbling something. Severus laid a hand on his shoulder before speaking. "That is part of what I need to speak with you about later."

She frowned, but nodded. Then, Neville noticed that Harry looked uncomfortable about something. "Harry? What's wrong?" He asked.

Harry looked over at him before he glanced at the adults, he almost seemed confused about something when he glanced between Neville and his grandmother before he shook his head and asked, "It's... well... House-elves. I met one a few weeks ago who was, well... he was pretty beat up. He was trying to warn me about something, and said he would have to iron his hands or something later as punishment, and then when we were at the bank, er-" He glanced up at Severus, he really wasn't sure what to call the man, and he hadn't got up the courage to ask yet.

"Call me Severus when not in class, Harry. If you wish to call me 'uncle' when you are ready, you may." Severus said softly. "After all, you used to call me, 'Unca Sevvy'."

Neville stared at the Potions Professor in shock. He felt like his world just exploded like his cauldrons always seemed to.

Harry smiled. "Well... Severus, mentioned something about a bond? And then we come here, and Mipsy won't even ask your gran a question without asking permission... what... exactly is a House-elf?" He asked quietly, not sure if he was allowed to ask questions here. He certainly hadn't at the Dursley's.

"Hm, well, House-elves are servants. Hermione might call them slaves though. See, they are bound to their families, for life. They have to listen and obey or the bond will hurt them, Muggleborns have, in the past, tried to stop House-elf 'slavery', but they never do their research properly. Because if they did, they would know that House-elves NEED the bond, they need a family to serve. Without the bond, without being able to use their magic like they do around the house, their magic gets out of control. They have very powerful magic, and the bond helps temper that. Without the bond, their magic would go out of control and they would die. There's more to it, of course, but that is basically it." Neville said, while his grandmother watched proudly.

Harry nodded slowly. That made sense. "Not all House-elves are treated well, that's why the protection is there." Neville finished.

"Protection?" Harry asked.

"What I told you about in Sharpaxe's office, about how the bond weakens the more a wizard hurts his elf. If Dobby wasn't so terrified, he could break free at any time and nothing would happen, that's how weak the bond is, and the bond with his current family would still keep his magic in check until he finds himself a new one. If he shows up again, ask him to come see me about it." Severus said. Harry nodded.

By this point, they had reached what was to become Harry's room for the summer. "Here you go, dear, this is your room, Neville is just down the hall, and I am upstairs." Augusta said as she pushed the door open and stood back to let Harry see.

Judging by the look on his face, it wasn't what he was expecting.

* * *

Harry was shocked.

This room was huge! They were really going to put him somewhere like this?

He was frozen to the spot, and his jaw might as well have been on the floor. He barely registered a hand on his back gently moving him forward.

The room itself was huge and airy. It was painted a light green, with plants in the corners. The bed was a queen size, with dark green covers and what Harry guessed was the Longbottom coat of arms. Harry's trunk was already sitting at the foot of it, and the library symbol was glowing, letting him know somebody was in there, probably just Mipsy unpacking his books and putting the family ones in their cases.

There was a large floor to ceiling window along one wall, a large bookshelf and desk along another, and two doors on the third. Covering the window were light, airy dark blue drapes, and the wood of the furniture was a nice medium dark wood that looked perfect with the lighter greens.

How could they give someone like him a room like this?

"There is a bathroom through here," She said, moving to open one of the doors off to the side. "You will find everything you need in here. Dinner is in an hour, I will leave you to get settled, Neville, will you help him and the professor with his lab?" She asked. Neville froze for a minute before he slowly nodded his head, a terrified look in his eyes. Severus just sighed, did he really terrify the boy THIS much?

"Very well, I will be back in time to remind you three of dinner." The stern woman said before she left the room.

"Shall we?" Severus asked the boys, sweeping an arm out towards the trunk. "Don't forget to grant us permission, Harry. I'm not interested in finding out what kind of wards a former Curse-Breaker and Ward-Master is capable of."

Harry nodded before he put his finger on the cauldron, thinking about his access wards like Jack told him to and granting Severus and Neville permission to enter. When he opened the lid, he went down the ladder, "You have access right now. Although as soon as you leave, I will have to grant you access again before you can come back in." He called when he noticed the two were still standing up top.

In the lab, Severus looked around and nodded in satisfaction. Although he frowned when he noticed an owl perch in the corner for Hedwig. "You do know, she cannot be in here when you are brewing, correct? Even with the air filtration system in place, the fumes would be too much for an owl." Severus said, gesturing to the perch.

"Huh? Oh, Jack put separate wards up around that area, he said they won't interfere with the potions. Basically, he said the air in those areas would always be fresh, no fumes get can past those wards." He frowned. "Unless, of course, the wards somehow fail, but Jack knows what he's doing, so..." Harry shrugged.

Severus went over towards the corner and reached with his magic. Huh. Those were some heavy duty air-filtration wards. Normally using such strong wards was inadvisable near brewing potions, but these looked to be set up using Rune Sets. Then he narrowed his eyes, he didn't remember him or Harry adding those wards or an owl perch to their order. And he had a feeling that all the compartments except for the clothes space had a perch in it just for Hedwig. These perches were well made, too.

He shook his head. Considering how little Jack had asked for the trunk and even then that was only because Harry demanded that he wasn't going to take it without paying, he really shouldn't be surprised that Jack added in a couple of things they hadn't thought of themselves. Like somewhere for Hedwig to perch.

"Which door is the ingredients storage?" He asked, turning to the two doors inside the lab.

"The one with plant leaves above it." Harry said, pointing above the doorways.

When Severus looked up, he saw two small plaques above the doorways, one decorated with plants, another decorated with a small set of vials. He nodded in appreciation, Jack clearly went all out.

Generally, in trunk lab spaces like this, there was simply a brass nameplate labeling the doors, these were gold-plated, with the designs drawn out in silver to make them stand out and shine.

Yeah, despite Harry's insistence paying, he still walked away with the thing practically for free. This trunk was worth at least a thousand with all the extras Jack put into it, on top of the extras that were actually requested.

Behind him, Neville whistled and asked Harry how much he paid for all this.

"I paid 250, and that was after I had to force Jack into telling me how much he wanted for it." Harry said proudly.

Neville choked. There was no way all this thing was worth was 250! This thing was custom, which meant the STARTING price would have been 600! He opened his mouth to say something as they followed their professor into the storage room, but felt a hand on his shoulder before he could. When he looked around, the professor was giving him a warning glare that promised detentions for the rest of the year if he said anything about the low price. He slowly closed his mouth and shivered when the professor removed his hand and turned his attention to the satchel containing all the ingredients they got that day for the lab.

Severus picked up the satchel and looked around, pleased with what he saw. Jack obviously knew what he was doing when building these compartments. He hadn't known what to expect when Jack told them it would only take two hours to do six compartments, but it hadn't been the level of craftsmanship he'd already seen in both the library and here.

"Alright, pay attention you two. Some of these ingredients should never be mixed unless its part of the recipe. The only way they can be safely mixed even then is because of the other ingredients that neutralize them or form a buffer between them." He said, opening the satchel and starting to empty its contents onto the table sitting off to the side. With that, he started his lecture on which ingredients were to never be mixed on the shelves, and which ones should be grouped together on the shelves. Basically, he grouped them together based on what kind of conditions they needed to be stored in to prolong the shelf life as long as possible. Some items, like the bezoar, never really went bad, but others would eventually. He walked them through which ingredients did best when stored in cool environments, which ones were best in hot and dry environments, and which ones were somewhere in between. Because those ones would go in the middle of the shelving.

During this, both Harry and Severus were amazed. It was like Neville was a completely different person. They were having an impromptu potions lesson, and he wasn't nervous or tense at all. "Mr. Longbottom, why are you not this relaxed in class with me?" Severus finally asked.

Neville stiffened for a moment before he continued sorting the plant ingredients based on how they should be grouped. "Um, well..." He glanced at Harry, who nodded encouragingly, "In class, you terrify me. Your always sweeping around, snapping and snarling, and, well..." He trailed off. "It makes me nervous, and then I forget what I'm doing, and I've never been able to figure potions out in the first place."

Severus nodded. "The reason I am like that in class, is because Potions is the most dangerous subject at Hogwarts. Yes, I realize that Charms and Transfiguration have their own dangers, but there, if you make a mistake, Minerva or Filius can easily counter it and it only affects you. In potions, you make a mistake and blow up the potions, you could injure everybody in the room, depending on what stage you were at with your potion. Once we get to the more complicated potions in coming years, mistakes could potentially kill other students. The reason I am even harder on the Gryffindors, is because I have a role to play. I won't go into details, but people, especially most of the Slytherins and their parents, expect a certain attitude from me. Even the Headmaster expects it of me." He sighed. "I have to play my role if I expect to be able to protect my godson." He said determinedly, making himself busy by hanging dried herbs and plants from the ceiling, not looking at either boy.

"Which means that you will have to go back to 'hating' me during the year in class." Harry said slowly.

"Yes."

Harry nodded. He had expected as much, really. As soon as Severus let slip his comment about 'the other Death Eaters' in the bank when they were talking about why Severus treated Harry the way he did during the year. "Are we still going to be able to do tutoring sessions? If your being watched like that." Harry said in what he hoped was a nonchalant tone, focusing his attention on the jars in front of him.

Severus snorted. "Getting away from a bunch of students for a bit and disappearing won't be a problem." He said, dropping a hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezing before he started double checking that the boys had the ingredients grouped properly and the proper charms were in place over the shelving. He nodded when it was done. "Good job, boys. Mr. Longbottom, try to relax in class. You getting tense and nervous only makes things worse. You did a good job here. You clearly know the ingredients, when making potions, just focus on your knowledge of Herbology when handling the plant ingredients. Unfortunately, during class, I will have to go back to my, 'snapping and snarling' as you put it."

Neville nodded and hesitated. "Thank you, sir. I never really thought about combining Herbology with Potions. I'll try it." Severus nodded, then he pulled out a parchment and started the list of ingredients that would be raised in the Greenhouse area. When he was done, he handed it to Neville, considering Herbology and plants were practically Neville's life.

Suddenly, Harry felt somebody outside his trunk through the wards. He cocked his head, "I think your gran is outside the trunk, Neville." He said.

Neville frowned, "How do you know that?" He asked.

"The wards."

"Oh."

"It must be time for dinner, then." Severus said as he herded the boys out of the storage room and back up the ladder.

"Dinner is ready. Are you going to be able to stay, Master Snape? Or do you need to go?" She asked.

He shook his head, "I can stay if that is alright. I still need to discuss a few things with you later if you don't mind." Severus said.

She nodded, "Of course." She said as she led them out of the room and towards the dining room, where she observed Harry hovering over his food like he thought it was going to be taken away, how Harry could barely even finish half, and after all that, she wasn't surprised when Mipsy popped in after Harry was done eating and handed him a potion that she suspected to be a Nutrient potion.

During the whole meal, Neville and Harry mostly talked while the adults listened, although Harry was reluctant in the beginning to talk a whole lot, he didn't know the rules of this place! What if he broke a rule, what would they do? He never knew what to expect from adults that weren't his aunt and uncle. Those two, he knew that if he messed up, failed to do something in time, or used accidental magic, he would be locked up in his cupboard and given even less food than usual. At school, he never knew what to expect. So much depended on the teachers moods that week, how bad punishments were going to be, or if there even was a punishment. One week, you could do something wrong and get detention, but do the same thing the next week, and you could only get ten points taken. The teachers were weird like that. The only one who was really consistent was Severus, and most of his nastiness was apparently an act.

But this was a new place, he hadn't even been told the rules yet. That, and he was extremely confused by the way Neville's gran treated Neville. Neville was her grandson, not her son, yet she treated him like a son. A little cold and distant, perhaps, but...

When the other three were done, Augusta spoke up, "Neville, why don't you go show Harry the Greenhouses before you two get ready for bed? The professor and I have a few things to talk about." She said.

Harry frowned and looked at Severus uncertainly, but he only nodded encouragingly.

Neville nodded and stood up, "Yes, Gran. Come on, Harry. I want to show you some new plants I got! I'm also pretty sure I have most of the list the professor gave me, too."

Harry overheard Augusta comment about not seeing her grandson this excited in a long time as he was pulled out of the room, with Severus watching the whole thing in amusement.

When they got out, Harry thought the Greenhouses were incredible. There were plants everywhere, there didn't seem to be much order to it either, yet it seemed like there was some sort of chaotic organization.

"As long as one plant doesn't try to strangle another, I mostly let them grow wherever, like plants should. I'm out here almost all the time taking care of them." Neville said proudly.

"Its amazing." Harry said, looking around.

Neville grinned before taking out the list Severus gave him, he started walking the rows, checking against the list they had. He already knew, of course, what he had, he just wanted to double check that he remembered right and that the plants in question were healthy enough for any cutting they took to survive being transplanted. He'd been having some problems this summer, the house-elf he'd left in charge of the Greenhouses while he was at Hogwarts hadn't known what to do beyond making sure they had enough water and the temperature stayed constant. Which was his fault, he should have made sure the elf knew what to do, but he still almost lost a few of his more valuable plants.

"Here, this is my newest, brought it in from North America, a magical Venus Fly Trap. Unlike their 'Muggle' versions, these ones can send their own equivalent of a Stunner at their victims, make it easier to catch. Don't worry, though, Gran had wards put around it so I don't get stunned every time I come in here. Magical Venus Fly Traps are rare. They can mostly be found around Ancient Ritual sites, a lot of which have been destroyed by Muggles over time. At these sites, the magic saturated the ground and air around the areas and affected every living thing nearby. And you would be amazed how many Ancient Ritual sites there are in South America. Unfortunately, South America is something of a magical preserve. Meaning, you need special licenses to be able to raise or buy anything originating there, except for potion ingredients, but..." He shrugged.

Harry was fascinated, he never heard about any of that.

Neville scowled as he tried to stun the fly trap so he could tend to it and show Harry the inside of its mouth, he had to try a few times before he actually got the spell. When he finally got it, he pulled Harry closer and opened its mouth before he sighed, "Maybe everybody else was right, maybe I am a squib. I've heard people talking about feeling a connection with their wands, but I just don't feel it."

"Isn't that your wand?"

"No, it was my dads."

"Then that's why!" Harry exclaimed. "Ollivander told me that the wand chooses the wizard. That wand never chose you, its probably fighting you every time you pick it up! And what's a squib?"

Neville looked startled, "A squib is the opposite of a Muggleborn, they are a non-magical born to magicals. So, the reason I can't do magic, is because I don't have a proper wand?"

Harry nodded. "Probably."

Neville bit his lip before he seemed to muster up courage, "I'll, uh, talk to Gran about it... sometime." He said before checking the time. "We should head in, Gran likes me to at least be in my room by ten, when I actually go to bed is my business." He said as he led Harry out and back up to the Manor, he dropped Harry off at his room, "Breakfast is usually around eight or nine, and the elves normally make something special if we have a guest overnight. Good night, Harry."

"Night, Neville."

When Harry was alone, he decided his brain was too active to go to bed just yet, so he decided he might as well go through his new clothes and sort out his old trunk with his school supplies. He thought he might keep it, and just keep it for his school stuff. All his clothes and personal stuff could stay in his new trunk. To avoid suspicion, he could show up with his new one shrunk and hidden away inside his old one, pulling it out in his dorm or something.

It was a good thing Mipsy hadn't emptied it out and gotten rid of it.

* * *

Augusta and Severus waited until the boys were gone and Severus erected a privacy ward just in case they decided to come back and listen in. Augusta raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything about it.

"Griphook didn't tell me much, only that he needed somewhere to stay the rest of the summer." She said, eyeing Severus. "But first, how about you explain the sudden attitude change. I was expecting Minerva or Albus to be the one bringing the boy, not you."

Severus raised an eyebrow and decided it would be beneficial to his health to explain most of what he told Harry and what happened. He didn't go into specifics, some of it was private between him and Harry, but she would get the more important details.

When he was done, she sat there quietly sipping the tea that was brought about half-way through his explanation, "Your telling me, that you are one of two appointed to be that boys godfather, and you've had to act otherwise for the past year or face Azkaban, where his other godfather is currently sitting, innocent of all crimes, despite the efforts of both you and the goblins to free him. Said other godfather also happens to have blood-adopted the boy. And that boy, the Heir to the wealthy and influential Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter and who knows what other Ancient Houses, knew NOTHING of his inheritance until yesterday." She said, quietly seething. Severus nodded.

"And his home situation? I saw the way he ate." She continued after a minute of sipping her tea to calm herself. She didn't want to go off on Severus, it wasn't his fault. Although she did have to wonder why Severus hadn't gone to get the boy years ago.

"I don't know either, Griphook and Sharptooth were the ones to rescue him, they haven't told me anything yet though. All I know is what I've seen and what the Healers told me." Severus said. "He's afraid somebody will steal his food, he can barely finish half of what's in front of him, and he's on Nutrient Potions for the next three months. His growth is permanently stunted as well." Severus sighed. "He told me earlier today when we got lunch that the only medical care he has ever received since the night his parents died was the two times he ended up in the hospital wing at Hogwarts last year. Then of course, he spent last night in the Gringotts infirmary for reasons. He never got his eyes checked, so he will need to visit an oculist, and he will also need his shots. He never even got the Muggle ones. The clothes he was wearing today were given to him by the goblins after they burned the rags he used to be wearing."

She stared at him, "And what is being done about his former guardians?" She asked in a barely controlled voice. She was having to draw upon every ounce of her Pureblood upbringing to not lose control of her emotions and magic.

"As per Lily and James Will regarding the monthly stipend they received, in the event that none of that money was actually used for Harry's upbringing, which it wasn't, the guardians in question automatically forfeit any properties they own to the Potter estate along with half of their net wealth. After that, the goblins have leave to deal with them however the goblins deem fit. I believe that Sharpaxe might already have sent people to get them, and take them to the mines." Severus explained with a smirk on his face.

She nodded in approval before she looked thoughtful. "So, a visit from a human Healer is in order, as is an oculist. You already took care of his school shopping... did you get him formal attire? I'm assuming you got him a new wardrobe today if all he had was rags." Severus nodded. "He will also need to be taught as much as I can about legal procedure and Pureblood etiquette, he will be going before the Wizengamot session in two weeks..." She said thoughtfully. He nodded.

"Alright then. Is that all?" She asked.

"Yes," Severus said as he checked the time. "I should be going. Albus gets in a strange mood when I'm gone from the castle too long without telling him, and I've been gone all day, plus most of yesterday."

She nodded and stood up, leading the way back to the floo. "I will be back in a few days, if that is alright, to deliver his Nutrient Potions, the goblin Healers only gave him enough for the week, I'm told they knew I would want to make his personally, its well known that I don't trust potions that are not mine." Severus said before stepping in the fireplace.

She nodded, "That's fine. I will see you in a few days then."

When he was gone, she sighed and stood there for a few minutes before she turned to check on the boys before she went to bed herself, it was after midnight after all.

When she opened Harry's door, all she saw on the bed was a lump in the middle of a lot of pillows. Did she even want to know where they all came from? It looked like he tried to build a... what did Muggles call it? A fort? It looked like he tried to build one of those to sleep in the middle of. Before she closed the door, a beautiful snowy owl flew in and landed on top of the lump, nestling down before turning to stare at her. She narrowed her eyes at the bird. "Normally," she whispered, "Owls aren't allowed in the manor itself. Keep that in mind, pretty one." She warned before she closed the door softly.

She didn't see Hedwig ruffle her feathers and preen over her victory. She also didn't hear Harry quietly asking Hedwig to behave, that the Longbottoms were being generous in taking them in when they didn't have to.

* * *

The next three days were busy for Harry. His first morning there, Augusta received a letter from Sharpaxe requesting her and the boys presence in Conference Room three at Gringotts in two days, on the thirteenth.

After breakfast, Neville and Harry spent most of the morning getting cuttings and moving them to Harry's trunk. After that was done, they spent the rest of the morning with Augusta helping them set up the lab and the afternoon was spent with Augusta holding Harry's first 'Pureblood lesson', as Harry called it.

The next two days went much the same way, the mornings spent with one or both Longbottoms helping Harry organize his trunk compartments, followed by Pureblood lessons and getting his summer homework done. On the morning of the visit to Gringotts, Augusta had a home visit from an oculist scheduled, she figured it was safer if Harry went out into public as little as possible right now.

"Good morning, Madam Longbottom, Heir Longbottom, how are you today?" The oculist, a Prewitt by the name of Albert, asked them both.

"We are well, thank you. Your patient is this way." She said as she led him through to the dining room, she had decided that it would be polite if she provided a larger surface for him to use if he needed it, and the length of the dining room table would certainly provide him that.

"Excellent, anything you can tell me now, so I know what to look for in particular?" He asked as he

followed.

"Yes, for one, the patient is Harry Potter. For another, he has never been to an oculist, not even a Muggle one, and has been going around with the wrong prescription glasses since who knows when he got them."

Albert choked on air when he heard the name, but when he heard the problem, he returned to his professional behavior. "That's not good, hm, there is a potion that can hopefully heal most of the damage caused by having the wrong prescription, but without knowing how bad his eyes were before receiving those glasses, I can't say for sure. It wouldn't be able to heal all of it anyway, potions are amazing and can do amazing things, but they can't solve everything." He said. Then he paused. "I'm having a hard time coming up with a reason for him never seeing an oculist before now, though."

Augusta shrugged as she opened the door to the dining room, "All I've been told is that his Muggle guardians were not suitable and are now, or soon will be, having their stay in the goblin mines."

He raised an eyebrow and decided not to ask. "Ah, Mr. Potter, how are you?" He asked the boy sitting at the table looking nervous.

"Fine, sir." Harry said in a small voice. He really didn't know what to expect. He'd only ever been seen by a medical professional three times in his life, after all. One of them hadn't even been human!

Albert nodded and placed his bag on the table, which he tapped before turning to Harry, "Take off your glasses for me?" When he had them, he tapped the lenses with his wand, noting the fact that they were literally being held together with a strange mixture of magic and tape. Turning, he wrote down the prescription of the lenses Harry was wearing before he turned to his now open bag, picking up a small mirror, "Keep your head here and look at the ceiling for me." He said as he gently held Harry's head where he wanted it, so that Harry had to roll his eyes upwards. He lit his wand tip and held the mirror under Harry's eyes against his cheek bones. He frowned. He did not like what he saw. He hadn't seen eyes this bad in someone so young in a long time, the pupils weren't dilating properly... another couple of years like this and he might be blind. Luckily this was somewhat reversible. And when he was older and his eyes were settled, there were procedures he could go through to undo the damage, the wizarding version of lasic surgery.

"Neville, would you go show Master Snape through? He has the rest of Harry's nutrient potions." Augusta quietly told Neville in the background.

"Roll your eyes to your left, good... now to the right... alright, down." Albert said. He frowned again. He hadn't even done anything yet to figure out the boys prescription, and he was already angry over how bad his eyes were. "Well, you are severely near-sighted." At Harry's confused look, he conjured up a replica of the eye, "In order for you to see, light passes through this lens here," He pointed to it, "And goes to the back of the eye to hit the retina's, nerves then take that information to the brain, I uh, happened to go to Muggle University to study alongside my apprenticeship." He said to Harry's questioning look at the fact that the was explaining this scientifically like he imagined a Muggle doctor would. "To be near-sighted, means that the light isn't hitting the lens correctly, and therefore is actually coming up short on its way to the retina.*"

During his explanation, none of them noticed Neville bringing Severus back into the room.

"Now, the right prescription can redirect the light so it hits the lens correctly, letting the light hit the retina correctly. I have to say, if you had been given the right prescription years ago when you first started having trouble seeing distance, your eyes would not be this bad. Look straight ahead at this chart for me." He said as he set up a Muggle eye test chart on the far wall and pointed his wand between Harry's eyes, making him go cross-eyed to keep the wand in view, "Try to ignore the wand, and look straight ahead... alright, just relax and try not to blink too much." He said as he started running spells to determine Harry's prescription. When he got it, he wrote it down next to what his current glasses was and frowned. That was a huge difference. On a scale of one to ten, his glasses were a two while his eyes were a six.

"Yes, I think the potion will be needed in this case... do you perhaps, oh, Master Snape, I wasn't expecting to see you, but it is good you are here. I need an eye potion, of this strength." He said as he passed the details over to Severus, who looked at it with a raised eyebrow before nodding.

"This should only take fifteen minutes... May I use your lab, Madam Longbottom?" He asked.

She nodded, "Neville, why don't you show Master Snape where it is?" He nodded and again left the room.

"While he does that, why don't you go ahead and pick out some new frames?" Albert suggested after pulling out a small case and unshrinking it before opening to show a collection of empty glasses frames. "And here is a list of charms I can put on the frames as well, they all come with unbreakable charms on them, as well as anti-summoning charms, so you will not have to worry about them being summoned right off your face as somebodies idea of a sick joke. Honestly, it is not funny suddenly being blinded because somebody thought it was funny to steal your glasses." He busied himself with getting some lenses out and ready to put into the frames. A few minutes later, Harry had a black wire-frame pair picked out, along with a spare set that was gold.

Albert nodded and fixed some lenses into them right when Severus came in with the potion. "Alright, then. Harry, if you could drink that, and keep your eyes closed for a few minutes afterwards while it works... good. Now, did you decide on any additional charms to add to your frames? Or do you want to leave it with just the unbreakable and anti-summoning?"

"I think I'll leave it." Harry answered.

"Ok," He said as made sure the chart was still where it needed to be. "Its been a few minutes, open your eyes slowly, let them adjust. Good. Now, look at the chart again." He ran his spells again, grinning when he had the results. His eyes went from the six, down to a four. He turned to the pairs of glasses Harry picked out and started tapping the lenses to get them the right prescription. He also charmed them to be auto-correcting.

"Here you go, Mr. Potter." He said as he handed the black pair to Harry, who put them on and started looking around in wonder, who knew the world could be so clear? "Now, those are charmed to be auto-correcting, meaning they will automatically change with your eyes, however, those charms will only last for two years, maximum. Which means, in two years, call me or another oculist for another appointment to get a new prescription if needed." Albert said as packed his bag again. Harry nodded, still looking around in wonder.

"I will show you to the floo." Augusta said. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. I didn't want

to let him run around with those things on any longer than I had to." She said as they walked.

"No problem, madam. It was my pleasure to help out." Albert said with a smile.

She smiled too and nodded when they reached the floo. "Give this to Gringotts, they will ensure the proper amount is transferred from my vault to yours." She said, handing him the slip of parchment, granting him authorization to take the amount written out of her vaults for services rendered. The matter of who would pay the oculist had caused quite the problem between her and Harry yesterday, she hadn't even considered letting him pay, it was her job as his temporary guardian to pay for things like basic medical needs after all, but apparently he really didn't understand the concept of children not supposed to be providing for themselves.

Once he was gone, probably off to his next appointment, she went back to the dining room, where she saw Severus and Harry talking about Harry's past few days at Longbottom Manor.

She clapped her hands to get their attention. "Come along, we have a meeting at Gringotts to get to." She announced once they were all looking at her. The boys in the room all nodded and got up to follow her back to the floo room, Augusta had a feeling this was going to be an interesting meeting.

* * *

*I am extremely near-sighted. However, if I happened to get any part of this wrong, I apologize now.


	9. Chapter 9

**_Gobbledygook_**

 _Once he was gone, probably off to his next appointment, she went back to the dining room, where she saw Severus and Harry talking about Harry's past few days at Longbottom Manor._

 _She clapped her hands to get their attention. "Come along, we have a meeting at Gringotts to get to." She announced once they were all looking at her. The boys in the room all nodded and got up to follow her back to the floo room, Augusta had a feeling this was going to be an interesting meeting._

Sharpaxe sat at the head of the conference table, watching the various members of the Potter Alliance come in, along with their heirs. Although, the political alliance itself all but disbanded when James and Lily died, and then unofficially disbanded when Dumbledore took proxy of Harry's seats. They didn't agree with most of his laws. At all. The fact that in recent years Albus Dumbledore started to claim that he was only doing what Harry asked him to...

Half of the alliance were either neutral or dark, the other half were light, it was a testament to the influence the Potter Family held that they were able to gather people from opposite sides and find ideals that they could all agree on. Of course, if there was something they didn't agree with that the Potter family were all for, or vice versa, they were free to vote for themselves. But for the most part, they voted with the Potter family.

Finally, everybody was here except for the Longbottoms and Harry himself. Just as he planned when he wrote to them what time he wanted them to come.

Finally, the three of them walked in followed by Severus, instantly becoming the center of attention. Sharpaxe watched carefully as most closed off their faces at the sight of Harry, looking at the boy blankly. He sighed, this was going to be another long discussion. He hadn't thought of adding Severus, but as a teacher at Hogwarts who was privy to much of Dumbledore's schemes, he would only lend credence to some of their claims

Then, he studied Harry. He already looked mountains of gold better than he did a few days ago. He was still way too thin, but he looked better. The new glasses did much for his appearance as well, now that his face wasn't being hidden by those bulky frames. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Hedwig wing into the room and land on Harry's shoulder just before the door closed.

He nodded, "Good, now we are all here, why don't you introduce yourselves since I know Heir Potter doesn't know any of you outside of seeing your heirs around Hogwarts."

A few exchanged dark looks, while a few others were confused. Wouldn't Harry at least have been shown pictures of them all or something so he would know who was who? Plus they all knew for a fact that there was at least one picture of all of them with James Lily in Potter Manor, James kept it in the study. Nevertheless, they all introduced themselves formally, along with their Heirs.

"Excellent. Now, it has come to my attention that there have been a few... misconceptions and assumptions made in the past year." He looked sternly at the Heirs.

"He just completely blew us off! We were reaching out in support as Heirs of HIS alliance, and he wasn't interested." Daphne Greengrass protested. "He didn't care!"

"I didn't blow you off, I had no idea what you were talking about! I only found out the Wizengamot existed a few days ago, I only found out I had an inheritance a few days ago!" Harry defended himself.

"How can you not know, Dumbledore is constantly passing laws that were your idea in the first place!" Lord Abbot said.

"Whatever Dumbledore told you, he lied. I have had a total of two discussions with the man in my life. Once during Christmas holiday last year when I, uh..." He glanced at Severus, "Stumbled across the Mirror of Erised at school, and once at the end of the year when I was in the hospital wing after stopping the Philosophers stone from being stolen." Harry said in a barely controlled voice. "The first time I ever saw the man was at the opening feast last year too, before you ask." He said bitingly.

Everyone stared at him for a moment. "Who, then, did you grow up with? Dumbledore claimed that he was raising you safely in a hidden location." Lord Greengrass asked.

"I grew up with my Muggle Aunt and Uncle. I didn't know magic even existed until Hagrid brought me my letter on my eleventh birthday." He frowned. "My aunt and uncle knew though, they were constantly trying to 'stamp it out of me' as my uncle put it." He shrugged and reached up to pet Hedwig, missing the looks of shock and outrage on the Lords and Lady's faces. He only looked up when he heard Severus growling. "What?" He asked when he saw their faces, they looked at each other and decided not to say anything when they saw the warning look Sharpaxe gave them.

Just then, Sharptooth walked in. "Harry, our Healers wanted me to send you down to see them when you got here, they just want to run some scans now that it has been a couple of days to check that your core is healthy and the nutrient potions are doing their job."

Harry blinked but nodded, and followed Sharptooth out. " ** _He has wonderful timing."_** Sharpaxe muttered. A few adults frowned when they heard about the nutrient potions.

"Why are we here Sharpaxe? Why are you getting involved in wizarding political affairs?" Lord Greengrass finally asked.

Sharpaxe raised an eyebrow. "Because when it comes to the Potter family, wizarding politics are Gringotts affairs. You all know very well what the Potter family has historically stood for in regards to magical creatures, besides, James and Lily were good friends of mine." He said, and they all nodded, that was very true. "I still remember that boy playing in my office or with my grandchildren while James and I conducted business the few times Lily could not watch him. And considering the recent laws Dumbledore has pushed through, keeping the Potter Alliance together is vital to Gringotts and the Goblin Nations very survival. And this alliance cannot stay together if assumptions are made and perceived offenses are allowed to continue without the facts being discovered." He said, looking at the Heirs sternly again.

One of the more stubborn members spoke up, "He claims to have been raised Muggle, yet he was acting like he grew up Pureblood and just chooses not to completely show it."

"That is because I have been teaching him Pureblood customs every afternoon since he came to stay with me three days ago. Earlier today, I had an oculist come in and check his vision, this was the first time he had ever been seen by one, and he's had those glasses of his for years according to him. I have an appointment scheduled with a human Healer tomorrow for him to receive his shots since he never got those either." Augusta cut in, raising an eyebrow at those assembled for a moment.

"He really didn't even know about magic?" Hannah Abbot asked, disturbed. All the Heirs were. Augusta and Sharpaxe nodded. "But, he doesn't act like any of the Muggleborns, they almost always have their noses in books, or are bugging the rest of us with random questions."

"That is because he saves his questions for me and Ron for when we are in the dorms, I asked him why yesterday, he said its because he's the Boy-Who-Lived, he's expected to know everything. He tried asking a prefect something about wizarding customs once, and he was given a really weird look, the prefect couldn't understand why he was asking." Neville explained. "He can't even learn more about our world because of all the expectations our world placed on his shoulders without even knowing him." He said disgusted. The other Heirs blinked at him, this wasn't the Neville they remembered from school.

"And his claims on keeping the Philosophers Stone safe from being stolen? Why would something like that be in a school?"

"As bait." Severus said, stepping forward from his shadowy corner, glaring at the offender. "As a teacher and one of those teachers in charge of creating traps to protect the Stone, I can confirm that the Stone was there and Harry did save it from being stolen. Put himself in a magical coma doing it though..." He muttered, annoyed.

"Why is he here?" Lord Greengrass asked.

"Hi, Professor." Daphne and the other Snakes said. Although they were just as confused as everyone else why he was there. After all, everyone who stepped foot in Hogwarts knew how much Severus Snape hated Harry Potter. And why did the Professor just call him Harry? It was always some different tone of Potter. The rest of the students were casting weary looks at their most feared professor,

Severus's lips twitched in his Snakes direction. "I am here, because when Harry was born, James and Lily appointed two people to be his godfather in what was probably their biggest argument since the day they first started dating. Myself and Sirius Black. We are still working on getting Sirius a trial and released, so that leaves me to take care of him for now."

"But then why...?" Hannah Abbot asked.

"Why am I so horrible to him in school?" Severus asked, the students all nodded. "It was either be horrible to him and wait for a chance to explain while helping him as much as I could from the shadows, or find myself sharing a cell with Sirius in Azkaban."

Everyone looked shocked and horrified. "Who would possibly..." Someone scoffed.

"There are things going on here which you do not know. Rest assured, you will learn what you need to when it is safe to learn it." Sharpaxe said. Just then, Harry came hurrying in with Hedwig clinging to his shoulder. He scrambled to his seat and actually moved it so Augusta was between him and the door, feeling Hedwig's amusement through the link as he did. He sent her a betrayed glare.

"What happened?" Severus asked, torn between concern and amusement.

"Healers are scary." Harry whispered, eyeing the door. "They could tell I forgot my potion this morning." He said louder.

Sharpaxe and Severus snorted in laughter before they coughed to cover it up. While all the students gaped at Severus in shock, Augusta asked Harry why he forgot his potion. She watched Mipsy put it by his plate.

"I guess I was nervous for the oculist. I've never seen one before, so..." Harry shrugged.

Sharpaxe frowned and shook his head, deciding not to even go there. "Did the Healers say anything else?" He asked.

Harry tilted his head. "They said everything looked fine, they also gave me this." He said, handing Sharpaxe a roll of parchment, which he unrolled to glance over it.

He nodded in satisfaction. "This is permission to use magic outside of school on medical grounds, very good."

* * *

Severus walked back into his rooms at Hogwarts with a sigh. He'd just come back from Gringotts after a particularly long meeting with what used to be the Potter Alliance, and the Lords and Lady's needed time to talk and decide. Oh, sure, they believed them, but... they all had agreements, business arrangements, and friendships with James and Lily, and before that with Charlus and Dorea. Friendships and agreements that had been ignored for the most part for the past eleven years.

Whether it was Harry's fault or not. Being ignored like that wasn't just something they could ignore and forget.

Then, of course, there was the fact that Severus and Sharpaxe wouldn't really tell them everything that was going on just yet. Sure, they understood the need for security, but at the same time... none of them were the type to appreciate being asked for help without being told why. The only one of them that had any idea of everything that was going on was Amelia Bones, and she was the one who decided not to tell everyone everything at first.

They just couldn't risk anything reaching Dumbledore's ears. They already said too much in regards to Severus and Harry's relationship.

Because of the secrecy, it had taken a couple of hours to convince them all that Harry had not insulted their Families on purpose, he hadn't snubbed their Heirs on purpose, and they would learn some of what was going on at the next Wizengamot meeting. Merlin, politicians were stubborn when they were offended.

Luckily, the parents of his Snakes hadn't protested too much when he pulled his students to the side before they all left to warn them to act as if nothing at all had changed between him and Harry. The other parents had protested a little, but there wasn't really much they could do when a teacher wanted to speak with his students about the upcoming school year. He had tried to impress the seriousness of what could happen if they were to tell anybody that he was Harry's godfather, what could happen if the wrong ears heard it, if the wrong ears heard that Severus and Harry had been in contact and Harry knew the truth.

The very least that would happen was them receiving detention with either himself or Filch every night for the rest of their school careers.

Severus bit back a groan when he walked into his potions lab, only to see Dumbledore sitting on a stool reading a book, instead he shoved everything back behind his Occlumency shields, another thing he would have to work with Harry on, and raised an eyebrow. "Albus, can I help you with something?" He asked, politely curious. Mentally, he was calling the old man every name he could think of, imagining himself using the worse of the curses he learned during his time as a Death Eater. He had a bad feeling that he knew exactly why the old man was here, and he was thanking every deity ever worshipped that Harry now had the Black Heir ring on his finger.

"Yes, I was wondering if you had those potions I asked you for? I was also wondering where you were when I didn't see you at breakfast this morning? Are you all right?" Dumbledore asked in that blasted 'kind grandfather' voice of his.

"I am fine, I just had some errands to run, I had a delivery to take to St. Mungoes, and no, I do not have your potions ready yet, I was busy with those for the hospital." Severus replied, going over to his private stores. It wasn't a total lie either, he had taken a shipment of potions to St. Mungoes before going to the Longbottoms and then following them to Gringotts, the lie was that he'd finished the potions for the hospital a few days ago, right before he got the message that the goblins found Harry, he'd spent the past few days brewing a few months worth of Nutrient Potions for Harry. They were now safely stored away inside Harry's potion lab.

"Ah, that's alright, dear boy, that's alright. I was just concerned. We do not want you shutting yourself away inside your labs again, last time you did that, you collapsed! Poppy wouldn't let you go for at least a week if I recall, I don't think any of us want a repeat of that incident..." Dumbledore trailed off with a pensive expression on his face, remembering the Healer's reaction to finding Severus collapsed in his labs, completely wiped after almost two weeks of constant brewing straight with little to no food, water, and certainly no sleep. How he did it... Dumbledore suspected multiple Pepper-ups had been drunk in those two weeks. As soon as Poppy found him, she rushed him straight to the hospital wing, wouldn't let anyone in to see him, and as soon as he finally woke up, stood there and gave him a two hour long lecture on exactly why he would never spend two weeks straight brewing again without food or sleep.

A month later, Severus swore his ears were still ringing. Not long after her lecture, she went out and bought him a personal house-elf with the strict instructions that if Severus ever spent longer than two days locked inside his labs, the elf was to stun him and put him to bed immediately before waking him up again long enough to eat before being force-fed a sleeping potion if the elf had to, no matter where he was on the potion. And no matter what Severus said, despite the fact that Severus was the elf's new master. The poor elf was so terrified of the Healer that she didn't even consider for one moment obeying her master when he tried to tell her to ignore every single order Poppy had given her in regards to Severus's time in his labs.

Dumbledore watched in concealed amusement as the Potions Master shivered and looked around in fear, terrified that Poppy was going to come out of the shadows and start another lecture. It was amusement at the others expense, not even he wanted to go against Poppy when it came to the health of her patients, he was lucky his compulsion that she had already checked Harry Potter and given him a clean bill of health worked, otherwise she would have had the boy out of his relatives house faster than he could say 'snitch'.

"No, no that incident must not be repeated." Severus muttered, shuddering. Honestly, he was lucky Lola had deemed that he was taking sufficient care of himself during the past few days while he brewed Harry's potions, otherwise he would have never gotten them done. He suspected Poppy acquired the elf from St. Mungoes, the creature behaved far too much like a Healer with her patient.

Dumbledore suddenly clapped his hands together, deciding that they best get off the topic of scary Healers. "Well, I suppose that this means you are free to brew those potions for me?" He asked as he gained a slightly dangerous glint to his eyes, casting a wandless compulsion over Severus, making sure he would do as he was told without asking questions like he did a week ago. All those questions, and he still hadn't gotten around to making them.

Severus shuddered when he felt the compulsion wash over him, but obediently agreed and went along with what was expected of him, grateful to Sharpaxe for suggesting all those years ago that he take up his Lordship.

The Ancient magic in the Prince Family Ring was designed to protect against compulsions and other similar spells.

He growled mentally when Dumbledore settled himself back onto his stool by the door and pulled his book back out, clearly he wasn't leaving this room without his potions.

He hated it when people insisted on watching over his shoulder. Unfortunately, he couldn't kick the old man out, not when he was currently supposed to be under compulsions. Besides, he was supposed to act like a grateful former Death Eater, and he was supposed to be grateful enough to put up with anything, to do anything without question.

He couldn't wait until they were finally able to get public opinion away from the old man, and get him arrested, personally, Severus was hoping for the Kiss, but he also knew that no matter how much Dumbledore's name became mud, the public would still never allow that to happen. To their eyes, Dumbledore would just be a misguided, senile old man whose age was finally catching up to him.

He sighed as he got busy pulling supplies and gathering ingredients needed. He had a godson to drug.

He never thought he would be more grateful to Sirius Black in that moment for making Harry his Heir.

* * *

Harry sank down on his bed with a sigh. It had been a very long day, a very long week for that matter.

So far, he hadn't really had a chance to just sit and think. Neville and his grandmother were always there. Either helping him organize, helping him find Hedwig's nutrient potions after the owl hid them, or teaching him etiquette and pureblood history.

So much had happened the past few days.

He laid there for a few more minutes before he shook his head and opened his trunk to go the kitchen. Cooking had always helped him think, (even if he hated cooking for the Dursley's).

He didn't even notice Hedwig following him until he got down the ladder and turned around after closing the door only to see Hedwig pulling out a pack of bacon, turning to look at him, sending a feeling of her pleading (not that she would ever admit to pleading). He blinked once at her before snorting in amusement even as he came forward to take the bacon from her while reaching for a pan to put on the stove.

Honestly, there were times where he thought she was really a human in disguise, she was so smart.

"I take it you want some bacon, girl?" He asked, faking a put out expression. She bobbed her head once and hooted. "Alright, and what do you say we make some cookies or something, too?" He asked her as he put the bacon in the pan and left to cook for a minute while he pulled out stuff for the mentioned cookies. "I'm really glad Jack put some modified Muggle appliances in here." He muttered as he pulled out a beater. It had a rune carved into the handle, and it ran off its users magic. Jack also left a book on household spells in his library, with the section on cooking spells marked.

He just didn't know enough about magic to feel safe using magic to cook without exploding it.

Especially with the control issues he was having at the moment. Augusta had started working with him a little when they got back from Gringotts, and he now only partially blinded everyone when he cast Lumos, instead of completely blinding them.

He sighed and went to flip the bacon before he started letting his mind wander even while his hands mixed. He trusted Hedwig to get his attention before their bacon burned.

She hated burnt bacon even more than he did.

Sure enough, she hooted to get his attention, and she even sent him a mental image of the bacon, complete with it being on a plate and her eating it. That was new. He really needed to read that book on Familiars.

When he pulled the bacon off, he put it on two plates. "What? I want bacon too! If you still want more later, I'll make you more." He said when he felt her dismay bleed through the link, and the image she sent of all the bacon being on ONE plate, and her devouring ALL of it. She looked between him and his plate of bacon again before she seemed to sag in defeat. Harry shook his head fondly before he snagged some of his bacon and went back to the cookies, once again allowing his mind to wander, thinking back through the past few days.

Not for the first time, he felt angry. Angry with himself for not trying harder to find out more, but even more angry with Dumbledore for doing all this to him in the first place. Also not for the first time, Hedwig reached through the link to calm him down when objects started to rattle on the table.

He sent gratitude back as he put the first cookies in the oven and started on a cake. He was strangely grateful that Aunt Petunia never got pre-made mixes. Aunt Petunia seemed to think that getting cake mixes would make him lazy, so she always made him make it from scratch. Although he noticed that if they were having company over, she would get cake mix. It probably had something to do with the fact that he wasn't allowed to cook when they were having company. Which Harry thought was a shame, because if it was a question of who could actually cook, he would win hands down every time.

Speaking of Aunt Petunia, he wondered if the goblins had gotten to them yet...

* * *

The night before...

Petunia and Vernon sat in front of the television, watching the late night news, with Petunia looking through travel guides. They were planning on taking a family vacation, to celebrate the little Freak being gone. Dudley had already gone upstairs to bed.

They didn't know where the Freak had gone, and they didn't care. Petunia was only mad that he wasn't around to do chores anymore, which meant that she would have to do it herself, or hire someone... They certainly had the money, what with the large stipend they got every month from the old Freak.

They were startled when there was a knock on the door. "Who in the blazes is calling at this time of night?!" Vernon sputtered, outraged that somebody could be so rude. And to HIS family!

Petunia frowned. "I'll get it, dear." She said, patting her husband on the leg as she stood up. At the door, she hesitated just long enough to plaster a fake welcoming smile on her face. Even if their guests were being rude for calling at this time of night, there was no need for her not to appear polite.

She was not expecting the police to be standing there.

She blinked for a minute before she remembered her manners. These were the police, after all.

"Officers, can I help you with something?" She asked, her eyes nervously darting towards her neighbors houses, hoping none of them were watching this. What would they think if it turned out they did something! She didn't think they did anything wrong...

She heard Vernon getting up from the next room and walking over to join her at the door, she assumed he heard her say the word 'officer'.

"Yes, I'm afraid the two of you are under arrest. For embezzlement, and at the very least, severe child neglect." The officer in front said, reaching for his hand-cuffs. "Turn around, Mrs. Dursley, don't fight us, it will only make this worse for you." He warned when he saw Petunia tensing up. He'd seen her glances to the neighbors house, and that told him that she was one of THOSE. More concerned with her and her families public image than anything else.

By now, Vernon had reached the door, and was starting to protest loudly at the sight of his wife being put in hand-cuffs. When the other officer entered the house and tried to hand-cuff him too, he fought back. Screaming and yelling that they didn't do anything, they had no right to be arresting his family.

Petunia could only stand outside in hand-cuffs watching in horror as the neighbors all began looking out their windows or even coming outside to see what the commotion was.

"I need help here!" The officer finally yelled. Almost immediately, Petunia was pulled to the side while a group of the other officers standing on the lawn surged forward to help subdue the fat man who just made things worse for him. And more complicated for the officers who were here that happened to have children in Hogwarts. Because now the man would HAVE to be sentenced in the combined Muggle-Magical court, but the goblins had already sentenced them to the mines. The officers didn't waste any time in using their combined weight to pull Vernon down and keep him down, one of them literally sitting on his upper-back while a couple of others pulled his arms back and started working out how to get the hand-cuffs on.

They weren't long enough.

While they did that, one of them noticed Dudley standing on the stairs, and the boy started to raise his fists and looked like he was about to charge when Petunia spoke up, not wanting her son to be hurt.

"Stay there, Dudley, listen to them." She called. Dudley looked at her, and he looked terrified, he had no idea what was going on. But he listened to his mother, a very rare occurrence. Petunia stubbornly ignored the neighbors gathering in the street to watch what was going on. She knew that they would have to move now. It never even crossed her mind that they might not be coming back here.

The officers hauled Vernon to his feet with some difficulty after they finally ended up linking two pairs of cuffs together to form a chain so they could actually make them long enough. They dragged him, kicking and yelling, out to a car while they led Petunia and Dudley to the living room so the crime lab techs could swarm the house. This was a case of child neglect, and the goblins had told the Muggleborn parents enough to know they would be able to get pictures as evidence. "Open every door, look in every room, somebody check that cupboard." The lieutenant in charge instructed, pointing to the cupboard under the stairs.

He walked into the living room and made sure the only officers within earshot were those that had children in Hogwarts like him. "I'm Lieutenant Johnson. Before we begin, every single officer within earshot has a child in Hogwarts." He said, and watched as Petunia paled.

"Then you know exactly what we went through raising a Freak like him." She hissed venomously.

All the officers narrowed their eyes. They hated it when their children were called that by the other children before they got their letters, and now they just heard a woman in charge of raising a wizarding child. Just what were they going to find in this house? At that moment, one of the techs called an officer out into the hallway. "Funny you should mention your nephew. He's why we're here. We have been asked by the goblin nation to inform you that Mr. Potter is the Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Potter and Black, is easily the wealthiest person in Magical Britain, possibly the world, and is the most politically influential person on the Wizengamot, that's like the magical Parliament. He also holds a seat on the House of Lords in our own government. You are being charged with embezzlement and neglect of that child, Mrs. Dursley." All the officers watched as she paled.

The news that he had political influence with the normal government meant that they wouldn't be getting out of this easily. If he hadn't told her that, then she would say that They had no right to touch them, they were normal. But if the Normal courts were going to involved...

"Here's what is going to happen. You and your husband are going to be tried in a combined Muggle-Magical court. Every single person on that court has either a child or a spouse who is magical. Or both. There will also be a couple of representatives there from both the Ministry of Magic's child services and our own child services. Unfortunately for you, as per stipulations made in Lily Potters will, you and your husbands fates are already decided as far as the magical side of things is concerned. And your husband has now added charges of resisting arrest and assault on a police officer, so I really don't know how things will go from the Muggle viewpoint. Your son... I'm afraid his fate is entirely in the goblins hands. I honestly do not know what they plan to do with him, that will depend on what is found out when he is questioned. I would advise the both of you to be entirely truthful during said questioning, the wizards have ways of ensuring you are if you decide to be difficult.

You will, of course, have a chance for a lawyer, as per Muggle law. However, because the goblins have a claim on you, they will only be there in a capacity to attempt to minimize your punishment as best as they can." He said. Just then the officer came back in and gestured for him to follow.

He frowned before he followed along behind, and was led to the cupboard he mentioned earlier. Did they actually find something there? What he saw made him weak at the knees. Hidden among cleaning supplies was a dirty, baby-crib mattress with holes in it, a ratty blanket covering it, and spiders everywhere. Looking at the walls, he saw some paper sticking out from behind a bucket, as well as what looked like an arm from a toy soldier. "Do you have your pictures?" He asked faintly. The tech nodded, and he went ahead and moved the bucket, and he decided then and there that he was scheduling some vacation time and taking his family out for a while. He needed to spend time with his little girl after seeing all this. Before she returned to Hogwarts for the year. Behind the bucket were papers taped up, some pictures that looked like they had been torn up, and then carefully taped back together again. Proudly sitting in the middle of the pictures, was a sign similar to the one his daughter drew when she was younger and hung up on her bedroom door. A sign proclaiming this as Harry's room. He stepped back. "Get more pictures, clear the walls, I want every single wall visible, get it all." He said.

Then he decided to go upstairs. He quickly found Dudley's room, and found himself feeling even more sick at the blatant difference in how two boys lived under the same roof. While Harry Potter was locked away and more than likely ignored in that cupboard, his cousin was sitting up here playing with his toys, his computer, surrounded by gifts and the knowledge that his parents loved him. Then he saw the door with the locks still hanging from it and the cat-flap. As he approached, he saw another officer come out of what he was assuming to be the master bedroom with a set of keys in his hand. "The techs still have to get pictures. So, I figured we should leave the locks intact." He explained.

Johnson nodded. When the locks were undone, he opened the door, shaking his head when he saw the condition of the room beyond it. His face darkened when he saw the bars on the window. While the rest of the house was immaculate, this room and the cupboard looked like they belonged in a house that had been abandoned for years. The only thing was that this room looked like it had at least been lived in recently, but only in the sense that there weren't as many spiders or as much dust. "Get it all." He said to the tech. He would know the guys name, but he was new, and he hadn't had a chance to get to know him yet.

He went back downstairs, where he went to the living room and turned to the others. "Get them out of here." It was then that he noticed the travel guides on the coffee table and raised an eyebrow. "Planning on going on a little trip? Using Mr. Potters money, I'm assuming? Sorry, ma'am. Trips cancelled." He said icily as he left the room to take Vernon back to the station. He was followed by two other officers leading Petunia and Dudley. When he left, he saw a woman he knew to be the squib, Arabella Figg. He narrowed his eyes. Everyone in his circles who worked with the goblins knew that she was a die-hard supporter of Headmaster Dumbledore.

If she was here, then why didn't the Headmaster know and do something about this years ago? Something else was going on here, but there wasn't anything he could do within the wizarding world to help, but he could do what he could to help in the Muggle.

* * *

Present time...

Arthur sighed as he fell into bed face first, fully clothed. He just had a long night in the Ministry, he was getting more and more reports of Muggles being harmed by Muggle objects that were charmed to harm them, so he was conducting more and more raids to catch those responsible. While most thought these raids were purely to protect the Muggles he loved so much, he was also running so many raids because all these attacks and Muggle-baiting were a danger to the Statute of Secrecy. The blood-supremacists always seemed to forget that when they put him down for doing his job.

He raised his head when he heard the door open, and was surprised to see it was Ron.

"Hey, son. Is something wrong?" He asked, sitting up.

"I was wondering... well, you met Hermione at the bookstore. Well, she's mine and Harry's best friend, but she's also obsessed with authority figures. She refuses to hear a word against them. The only reason she was convinced about Snape last year was because he really was horrible, and then she saw him muttering the counter-curse at that Quidditch match, and thought he was the one doing the cursing." Ron said. He and the Twins had spent the day after the goblin Healers freed the Twins telling their parents everything that happened at the school the year before, well, Ron did most of the talking, with the Twins adding on every now and then with the rest of the schools point of view on events.

"Your worried that if you and Harry try to warn her about Professor Dumbledore, she won't believe you, and might go running to tell him or something so he can 'set the record straight.'" Arthur said softly. Ron bit his lip and nodded. Arthur sighed and sat back. "I don't know, Ron. The best I can tell you is to ask Professor Snape about it. He might be able to join in that discussion. He's an authority figure, he just might be able to make the difference."

Ron frowned. "But, he's... I mean, he's awful! I'm still trying to figure out what was going on the other day, he was being nice to Harry, I don't get it." He finished.

"I think... there is a lot going on that we don't know. But, going by what we found out in Gringotts, I think it's safe to say that the Professor was horrible to keep up appearances with Dumbledore and some of the other students. There are things about Snape that you kids don't know... simply because it's never really discussed. But... back during the war, there were rumors... about Snape being You-Know-Who's right hand. Now we know it was Sirius Black, but... those rumors had to come from somewhere. He was never convicted, his name did come up, but Dumbledore vouched for him, Dumbledore got him off scott-free with claims of Snape being his spy within the Death Eaters. Obviously, Snape managed to come up with something, or the other Death Eaters would have killed him years ago just for the insinuation that he betrayed them."

Ron frowned. "How can we trust him, then? How can Harry trust him?"

Arthur shrugged. "Harry must know something we don't. Or, its entirely possible that the Professor hasn't gotten around to telling him about his past yet. I think that only the two of them really know. Don't worry about Hermione. It'll work out, you'll get through to her." He said, laying a hand on his sons shoulder.

* * *

Harry shrugged. Oh well, who cared what was going on with them? He was never going to have to see them again. Just then, he reached for more bacon with one hand while the other cracked some eggs, only to find his plate empty.

He froze and looked over, blinking when he saw his empty plate, trailing his eyes over to look at Hedwig, and her empty plate and all too innocent posture, and the feelings of innocence bleeding through the link.

"HEDWIG!" He yelled, slamming down the now empty eggshell and slicing his hand open with it.

She just cocked her head cutely and hooted sweetly.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Gobbledygook**_

 _He froze and looked over, blinking when he saw his empty plate, trailing his eyes over to look at Hedwig, and her empty plate and all too innocent posture, and the feelings of innocence bleeding through the link._

 _"HEDWIG!" He yelled, slamming down the now empty eggshell and slicing his hand open with it._

 _She just cocked her head cutely and hooted sweetly._

Arabella Figg didn't know what to do. After watching the Dursley's get arrested. she went back home and decided to go to bed, call Albus in the morning. But when morning came, she didn't know if she should.

It was now the next evening, and she still hadn't decided. This had never happened before. She had been told to that if something was wrong on Privet Drive concerning Harry, to call Albus, if somebody magical ever got in touch with Harry, call Albus. He would come take care of it, make sure whoever it was didn't tell people where to find the boy. She always called him. But...

On the one hand, Albus was an old friend and she was here as a favor. She was one of the few who knew the prophecy, and she knew Harry was safest with Dursleys.

On the other hand though... She may not know exactly what went on in that house, but she could certainly guess based on how Harry acted when he came over an dhow she watched him constantly running from his hellion cousin. She also knew the rumors his relatives spread. She liked Harry, and she wanted him to be safe... the wards kept him safe from those outside...

But lately she had started to wonder, which was worse. The threat outside, or the threat inside?

After a couple more hours of staring into her pot of floo powder, she made her choice. If Albus learned of the Dursley's arrest, it wouldn't be from her.

* * *

When Harry and Hedwig entered the dining room the next morning, the Longbottoms were confused. What on earth happened? Hedwig was sitting on his shoulder looking unrepentant (or as unrepentant as an owl can look), while Harry was lecturing her on why you didn't steal.

"Next time I tell you it's my bacon, it's MY BACON!" He finally said as he sat down just as their food appeared. The Longbottoms couldn't help but notice that the bacon was nowhere near Hedwig.

Neville and Augusta both blinked at the pair, looked at each other, looked back at Harry and Hedwig, and blinked again before deciding they didn't want to know.

A few minutes into their breakfast, a small pile of baked goods appeared on the other end of the table. "What's all that?" Neville asked, since he was the first to notice it.

"Huh? Oh," Harry said in surprise as he looked around. He muttered something about not knowing she would put it out for breakfast. "I couldn't sleep last night, so I baked."

Augusta got up to go over to see what was there, and her jaw would have dropped if such an undignified action hadn't been beaten (by today's standards, not the standards of the time) out of her during her own lessons in her childhood. The end of the table was covered in desserts, there were ginger snaps, treacle tart, American Apple Pie, chocolate cake, vanilla cake, chocolate-chip cookies, short bread, and sour-dough bread. Some of it, like the pie, was still warm. Whether this was because of how fresh it was, or if it was under warming charms was unclear. She suspected a combination of the two.

"When did you get to sleep?" Neville asked, his eyes wide as he looked at the pile.

"Two hours ago." Harry said with a shrug.

"Two hours?" Neville repeated in disbelief. He looked at Harry, who didn't even look tired. Everyone in Gryffindor knew to avoid the Boy-Who-Lived when he was short on sleep, to say he was in a bad mood on those days was an understatement. Only Ron and Hermione dared get anywhere near him, and even they tried to avoid talking to him for fear of saying something to set him off. Everyone in the tower knew of his temper, and they also knew that it was a slow blow. But when it blew... It was similar to a volcano on an otherwise what used to be a calm day.

"Yeah, like I said, I couldn't sleep, so I baked. Cooking has always helped me think, and I had a lot to think about last night." He said quietly before changing the subject. "My aunt made me read a cooking magazine once, it had an article in it with a recipe attached for apple pie and ice cream. Apparently its a big thing in America." Harry said. He shrugged. "I also made the ice-cream. Mipsy is watching it... apparently she's watching us too." He muttered and blinked when his and Hedwig's potions appeared by his plate. Hedwig narrowed her eyes on the potions, but Harry shot his hand out and snatched hers before she could do anything to it... again. He sent her a memory of the past few weeks at the Dursley's, pushing all his worry over her through the link.

"I wish you wouldn't be so stubborn about your potions, girl. You need them right now to stay healthy." He felt a small tendril of guilt bleed through, probably for making him worry, before she sent a memory of how those potions tasted, followed by a pointed look towards the plate of bacon. He sighed. "I know, they taste awful, and I know you love bacon. But bacon won't give your body everything it needs." He said dryly. "Tell you what, you stop making a fuss, I'll make you some bacon every night. Provided you also leave MY bacon alone." He said with a brow raised. Mentally wondering how he came to get the most stubborn Familiar in the history of Familiars.

Hedwig turned to him, and he almost laughed out loud at the hopeful image she sent him. Her, surrounded by mountains and mountains of bacon.

"Maybe not that much, don't want to make you sick, but yes." She hooted her approval before opening her beak to let him give her the potion.

Neville watched all this going on in various degrees of amusement and confusion. Also a little bit of relief. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to just about tear the Manor about anymore because Hedwig decided she didn't want to take her potions. Although they did agree with her that they tasted disgusting. Whatever Potion Master managed to make them taste good, would make a fortune. Either way, Hedwig was good at hiding things she didn't want any of them having.

Augusta waited until he drank his own potion with a grimace. "Back to the fact that you only got two hours of sleep." She prompted.

Harry looked at her. "I never sleep much." He shrugged. "It's worse in really big, open spaces. Don't worry, I'll be fine, I have to get used to it sometime, right?" He said when he saw the alarmed look on Augusta's face. His bedroom here was really big after all.

She frowned before nodding though. That was very true, especially if he ever wanted to move into one of the many properties she was sure he owned. She knew from experiance just how big the rooms at Potter Manor were, and she knew the rumors about the Potter families ancestry. She looked back at the pile of baked goods. "Well, I suppose it would be rather remiss of us, Neville, not to taste test at least some of this, it would be rude to just let this all go to waste when Harry worked so hard on it." She said 'thoughtfully'.

Neville's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Did his grandmother really just say that? She always said that the only baked good that was appropriate at the breakfast table was toast. She didn't even approve of dessert for lunch, she said dessert was for dinner and dinner only. Finally, after a minute of gaping, which he was going to get a lecture for later since it was dignified or proper behavior, Neville finally managed to choke out, "Yeah, rude."

His gran nodded decisively. "I think I will have some pie with ice-cream. It has been a while since I had any... there is this cafe in New York that serves this truly amazing pie." She trailed off as Mipsy and Moppy popped in with a plate of ice-cream, and Mipsy served her some pie with it while Moppy looked expectantly towards Neville, waiting to see what he wanted. Both elves had a slight smile on their faces.

They weren't too happy that a wizard had been in a kitchen, they considered that their job. But, they could certainly understand when Harry said it helped him think, that he liked cooking. There was a reason why, in a Manor with multiple elves, they all took turns in the kitchen, cooking was their favorite job. There was just something about it...

Neville blinked at their sudden appearance before he quietly asked for some vanilla cake. Moppy nodded and next thing he knew, he had a very large piece of cake sitting in front of him.

Harry didn't even have to say anything before some pie and half a cookie appeared in front of him. He raised an eyebrow at the cookie before he looked at Mipsy, who explained that, on top of being Head Elf, she was also in charge of the Potter owls health, and a little sugar wouldn't hurt anything. She would, however, be keeping an eye on Hedwig to make sure she didn't over-do it. With that, and once they were sure their masters didn't need anything else, the elves popped back out.

When breakfast was over, with many compliments to Harry's baking, Augusta turned to Harry, "Harry, the appointment with the Healer is right after lunch. For now, follow me to the library. Neville, join us in there once you are finished with your Greenhouse for the morning." She barely waited for a "Yes, Gran." before sweeping out of the room with Harry and Hedwig hot on her heels.

"Considering you will be going before the Wizengamot in less than two weeks, I believe it is time to start incorporating politics and wizarding law into your etiquette lessons. We will spend some more time working on your control later this afternoon. Now that you finally have your trunk sorted and organized, we have some more time on our hands to go over everything we need to. It will by no means be anything but the very basics to make sure you don't look like a total fool, or insult everybody in the room, but it will have to do. You can't just teach and expect somebody to completely master something in the space of two weeks, not when everybody else in the room grew up that way, knowing those concepts before they could even walk in some cases." She explained as she searched her shelves for the self-updating law book every Most Ancient and Noble House possessed. These books literally could not be replaced. There were charms on them placed by the original Families, and only the Potter family still possessed the knowledge of how they did it. Considering how much the Potter Family guarded their secrets...

"Sharpaxe told me of your photographic memory, so it shouldn't be too difficult for you to familiarize yourself with these..." she said as she finally located her book and put it down on the table in front of Harry. "Many of the laws in here cancel or contradict each other, especially those from the past decade or so, its ridiculous." She sighed. "The political world really suffered since the death of your grandparents."

"My grandparents? Why not my parents?"

Augusta was suddenly hit with just how little this boy knew about his own family. What he just asked was information any Magical raised child in Hogwarts could have told him. "I'm afraid they weren't in the political scene long enough before having to go into hiding. They didn't have a chance to prove themselves, let alone actually do something." She said sadly.

"Oh." Harry said, slumping in his chair a bit.

She smiled at him even as she gently pushed on his back to make him sit up straight again. "You don't have to memorize the whole thing, but you do need to be familiar with its contents, and especially what what limits the law places on those in charge, like the Chief Warlock and Minister, for example. You also need to be familiar with what exactly the law defines their duties as being. You might also want to look through the Hogwarts Charter, it defines just what the Headmaster can and can't do, as well as just how much power the ministry holds over Hogwarts." She said as she quickly located her copy of said charter.

Harry nodded and opened up the law book, while Augusta started talking him through various scenario's, including what laws would be appropriate to use in countering arguments, how to present his case so he wasn't immediately dismissed, and how to do it without insulting everybody in the room. Harry at some point asked her to clarify on a law he found. It touched on the rights Heirs and Lords had when they stood trial.

 _When_ they stood trial, he noticed it said.

Looking back through, he noticed an earlier law that made it mandatory for all criminals or accused to receive a trial.

The part he was confused on was that it said Veritserum was only allowed on a Heir or Lord with either the Lords or the rest of the Families permission, depending on which one was standing trial. And, the Wizengamot could only ask the questions the Family would let them ask. This, apparently was to avoid greedy ministry officials from asking questions about Family secrets. Evidently, this law came into place after a Heir to some now extinct family was out on trial, fed Veritserum, and then was asked about the Families most closely guarded techniques. Several months later, that Family was wiped out because some of their enemies got ahold of the court transcripts, and figured out how to use their own techniques against them, as well as how to counter them. If the Wizengamot strayed from the questions they were given, a Family member on hand would then stop the accused from answering, a mistrial would be called, and the whole case would be thrown out the window.

After first finding out what Veritserum was, he learned that as the only remaining member and Heir to the Potter Family, as well as the adopted son to Lord Black, he could demand Sirius be given Veritserum. He just had to provide the questions they were allowed to ask. He would have to get with Severus and Sharpaxe on that one, as he didn't even know the exact circumstances Sirius was thrown in Azkaban under, not to mention what would be safe to ask so that no family secrets were betrayed.

But for now... He had once heard a room full of politicians being described as a school of sharks. Now, he had to learn how to swim with the sharks.

* * *

Severus sat down in his favorite chair with a sigh.

Dumbledore had him up all night and most of the morning brewing, the only reason he allowed Severus to eat breakfast when Lola came to get him because the potions needed about an hour to simmer before being ready for the next step. Which was for the person they would be keyed to, in this case Dumbledore, to spell them.

He would have tried to sabotage them, but knew that Dumbledore would notice, he may not be a Potions Master, or nearly as skilled as Snape, but he was still quite skilled in his own right, and he knew how these particular potions were supposed to be brewed. That, and Severus wasn't taking any risks when it was his godson that would be drinking them.

He wondered absently if he could get away with going to visit later today, maybe get a lesson in now that Harry had a medical excuse to use magic. Not that that was really a problem since Harry had the training room in his trunk, but still. He also knew that Augusta would probably most likely be working with him on it, but at the same time, he wasn't sure she was young enough anymore to keep up with him. That, and he just wanted to spend time with the boy.

That plan was scrapped with the arrival of a large pile of paperwork he would need to go over before the beginning of the school year.

He stared at it for a moment and blinked before slamming his head back against the chair with a groan.

* * *

After lunch, the Healer arrived. This was Harry's first visit from a Healer, and he really didn't know what to expect. He didn't count the one time he was in the infirmary this past year, he was unconscious when he went in.

To say she wasn't happy about his lack of shots, Muggle or magical, was an understatement.

To say she was angry with Madam Pomfrey for not making sure he got them, was an even bigger understatement.

She wanted to run a full physical until Harry finally found his Gryffindor courage to inform her that he'd already been seen by the goblins for his other health needs.

THAT, she was happy about.

When they said shots, Harry had been expecting a needle like what Dudley told him about. He was not expecting it to be an actual shot glass, like they would normally serve whiskey in, filled with a potion. And he thought his Nutrient potions tasted horrible, he had to drink ten different potions before she was happy.

Before she left, they had to remind her of patient confidentiality, she was so ready to head to Hogwarts and hex Poppy Pomfrey to the moon and back.

A couple of days later, Severus visited to see how Harry was doing. Now that he could actually had access to the boy without Dumbledore hanging over his shoulder, he seemed determined to spend as much time as he could with him. Harry was thrilled.

He was also cautious.

He had grown up with the Dursley's telling him he wasn't worth anybodies time, that nobody would ever want him. Despite knowing they were liars, it was a case of believing something if you were told it enough. Especially for someone as young as Harry.

Every time he started to really enjoy himself, started to let himself believe this was real and permanent, he would catch sight of a small scar on his arm, left over from a particularly rough round of Harry Hunting a few years ago. It was a reminder, and all it reminded him of was that he was worthless and unwanted. He tried to push those thoughts away and forget them, but the longer he was with the Longbottoms, the more and more they came. As if his subconscious was constantly reminding him not to get too close.

He decided he was just going to try and and ignore it. He didn't care, he was going to enjoy this while he could, if they all left... He would deal with it then. Until then, he would be cautious in getting close, but he wouldn't close them all out.

He looked up from his lab station where Severus was currently showing him how to properly take care of his equipment to see Severus watching him with his head tilted, as if there was something he wanted to understand. Harry realized he'd been standing there in thought for a few minutes.

"Is everything all right?" Severus finally asked.

"Yeah, I was just thinking." Harry shrugged.

Severus frowned before he set the cloth in his hand down. "You know, Harry," He started slowly. "Growing up, the only person I had was your mother. My father was an angry drunk Muggle, and my mother was the disowned daughter of a prominent Pureblood family. So, I know what it is to have that voice in your head, telling you not to get close. I know what its like to be terrified of everybody leaving you after you finally found someone who cares. Unfortunately, the only way those fears can truly go away is with time, and the fact that those people who care are still around." Severus said, watching Harry carefully.

Harry looked at him, wide-eyed. Harry swallowed and blinked a couple of times before he finally nodded, Severus heard a small 'thank you' as Harry looked down and went back to cleaning the knife in his hands. Severus smiled and the two of them went back to working in silence with Harry asking the occasional question, or Severus occasionally correcting Harry if he was using the wrong tool to clean with.

* * *

Three days before the Wizengamot...

Sharpaxe looked up when the door opened to reveal Sharptooth, " ** _Lord Prince-Snape and Heir Potter-Black are here, Senior Manager."_** He announced.

 ** _"Thank you, Sharptooth, send them in."_** He nodded and looked at the clock. He thought Madam Longbottom would be here.

He bowed and left, leaving the door open to let Severus, Harry, and Hedwig in. Hedwig hooted indignantly at him. He blinked and turned back to Sharpaxe. **_"Hedwig is here as well. This owl is way too smart."_** He muttered as he left, shaking his head.

Harry sighed and shook his own head fondly at the owl perched proudly on his shoulder.

"Good afternoon, Severus, Harry. How is everything going with regaining control of your magic and political lessons?" He asked. He knew they'd been working with Harry to teach him how to control his suddenly much larger core.

"Better, I don't blind everybody in the room with Lumos anymore." Harry said with a sheepish look on his face.

"He has made a lot more progress than that." Severus said. Sharpaxe noticed a proud glint in his eyes and raised an eyebrow before asking where Augusta was.

"Apparently, this morning Neville asked her about his wand. Evidently, she had him using his fathers wand. He asked if he could get his own today, she decided they might as well since she was going to be here today anyway, she's going to see him off through the floo afterwards before she comes to join us." Severus said.

Sharpaxe frowned, "Perhaps we can also arrange for him to take an abilities test. He was, after all, the other possible child of prophecy... he might also be Dumbledore's back-up plan if anything happens to Harry. He is also supposed to be close to Harry, or would have, if his parents wills hadn't been ignored."

Severus froze. "I almost feel sorry for Dumbledore if he was actually stupid enough to mess with Augusta Longbottom's only grandson." He shuddered. "Almost." The other two in the room nodded in agreement.

"Maybe we could test Augusta too? Neville told us some stuff his relatives did to force the magic out of him, it didn't sound like she did anything to stop it, but what I've seen the past couple of weeks completely contradicts that." Harry piped in.

Sharpaxe was impressed. Only two weeks of political and etiquette lessons and his speech had already cleared up a great deal. He already sounded more 'proper' for Pureblood society. Severus frowned. "Well, I doubt we will find anything wrong with Augusta, the Ministry tests members of the Wizengamot regularly for signs of controlling agents or tampering on their abilities. It doesn't hurt to check though, Dumbledore might have gotten to the testers after all. But what, exactly has Mr. Longbottom told you?" He asked, not sure if he wanted the answer.

Harry cocked his head to the side and told the two everything Neville told the Gryffindor table at the opening feast.

"Algie did WHAT?!" The heard an undignified screech of rage. It seemed Augusta had been shown in just as Harry got to the part of Algie holding Neville out a window in an effort to force his accidental magic.

Harry turned to her and hesitated before he finished the story with Algie being distracted by another family member bringing in food for him try and dropping Neville. Resulting in Neville bouncing down the drive unharmed.

She was livid. "Algie told me he was hanging out too far and lost his balance! And what were they thinking trying to force it out of him? They knew his magic was still recovering from trying to protect his parents during that attack! I told them to leave it alone and let his core heal! They knew he was no squib, with all the accidental magic he was performing before the attack. How dare they!" She raged.

Severus's eyes were wide, well, wide enough as to be noticeable if you looked hard enough. Otherwise, there was no visible reaction. "That boy was in the room? When the Lestrange's and Crouch..." He trailed off, glancing at Harry. She nodded grimly.

"That's why he was a late bloomer magically. His magic reacted to a combination of his stress and the fact his parents were being harmed, and tried to shield his parents. Because he was so young, it damaged his core almost to the point of making him a squib. Not quite though. I was told his core would recover, it would just take time. If he'd been older, the damage wouldn't have needed so long to recover, but... I should have given him his own wand from the start though, I don't know what I thinking there... his core was obviously recovered enough from the strain when he was younger..." She frowned.

"Did Dumbledore tell you his core would take time? Or did he come visit before school started?" Severus asked.

"Oh, no, I sought treatment for his core at St. Mungoes. Although Albus was there after the attack, he was the one who suggested I take Neville. And Albus did come by to discuss Wizengamot business just before Neville got his Hogwarts letter. Why?"

Sharpaxe cleared his throat uncomfortably. "We were discussing the possibility of giving Heir Longbottom an abilities test. This will ensure his core was not tampered with." He said slowly, unsure if it was wise to bring this up now. He reassured himself that there were wards in his office that negated accidental magic. He'd had them installed since Harry was last there a couple of weeks ago. He hadn't had them before because he never did business with the Potter children, he always dealt with the adult Potter's. And they were no longer capable of accidental magic.

She froze. "What?" She asked lowly.

"Just as a precaution." Severus said quickly. Neither of them wanted the witch to lash out.

She nodded slowly before she visibly turned her mind to other things, the boys in the room all breathed sighs of relief when she finally sat down. "So, what are we here for and does it have anything to do with Harry going before the Wizengamot in a few days?" She asked..

"Yes. Here's what we were planning." Sharpaxe said, leaning forward on his desk as the two wizards and goblin brought her in on everything that was happening and why. They added their suspicions (although most of it was backed up with fact) about Dumbledore. Even going so far as to show her Harry's abilities test. She was mad.

But she recognized the significance of her being brought in like this, especially when she learned that Amelia Bones had been working with Gringotts and secretly building a case against Dumbledore since before she even received her promotion to Department Head.

That indicated a large amount of respect and trust on the goblins part. They recognized her skill and integrity to do what needed to be done, and that was before she was even in a position of authority to do anything. They obviously believed that wouldn't be much of an obstacle. And now she WAS in a position of authority.

Once she was caught up, she realized something. "That's why you were so interested in the laws regarding use of Veritaserum on a Pureblood Heir or Lord."

Harry nodded. Sharpaxe grinned. You plan on demanding Veritaserum." Harry nodded again. "This way, nobody can dispute the truth. The beauty of it is, you have every right to demand it as his Heir both magically and by blood. Since he blood-adopted you, nobody can dispute your claim to the Black Heirship. Brilliant." Harry had a small, embarrassed smile on his face.

"I just need help with the questions. I don't want to ask something that will get the wrong people in trouble, like Remus Lupin." Harry said. Severus had told him about Remus Lupin a few days ago when Severus took him to the London Zoo for the afternoon and they had dinner near the wolf habitat. Including the man being a werewolf, plus the fact that Severus had no idea where the man was or how to even begin hunting him down. He just disappeared after that Night. Harry thought the name sounded familiar, and for some reason he thought he might have met the man, but he couldn't remember. Severus promised him the memories would sort themselves out and clear up as he got better with his Occlumency.

"What do you have so far?" Sharpaxe asked.

Harry pulled the list out of the pouch he got from Sharptooth. He practically never took the thing off his belt anymore. He also kept his Cloak, a couple of reference books on wizarding law and customs, the Muggle fiction he was currently reading (He was still on Narnia), and his photo-album he got from Hagrid. When it was time to go back to school, Harry was probably going to leave his new trunk in there, rather than risk anybody (Dumbledore) going through his old trunk and finding it in there.

Sharpaxe looked over the list and nodded in approval at what was there so far.

Naturally, the first questions were, 'are you and Death Eater' and 'were you the Potter's Secret Keeper'. There were a couple others that would need to be tweaked so they didn't leave any loopholes the Wizengamot could use to get it thrown out. There were a couple others that were extremely vague, then, of course, there was the blank line at the bottom.

It was customary for the Family representative, in this case Harry, to get to ask one question of their own at the end of the questioning in order to clarify something they felt was not clear enough during the initial questioning. This was blank because this question was generally something based off of the accused answers to the other questions. The line at the bottom of the page was to indicate to the questioner that Harry would be making use of his question should he think of one. The representative usually asked something along the lines of 'why would you do something like this to your family?'

"These look good. Some are too vague for the Wizengamot's tastes, and a couple have some loopholes in them that could see the Wizengamot throwing them out on the basis that they leave room for him to lie, but these are very good. I can't see anything here that could see the wrong people in trouble, and I don't see anything else in here that could give away family secrets, but then again I'm not privy to Black family matters... We would need to see Barchoke for that... This is all very specific to the case at hand, no tangents... although the Wizengamot might try to go on a tangent when its revealed they all became Animagi on their own, as school children. There are a couple of questions I would like to add, just clarifying questions as needed." Sharpaxe said, glancing up at Harry, who looked slightly embarrassed, but happy with the praise.

"Sure, you've been doing this longer than I have, your the expert.." Harry said, waving his hand for Sharpaxe to go ahead.

It was an odd mix, Sharpaxe decided, of Muggle upbringing and Pureblood etiquette. With the Muggle upbringing still being the dominant half.

It took them a good half hour to hammer out what the questions were, before they started going over what Harry would say to get them to agree with the trial in the first place. They were obviously going to present James and Lily's will, force them to 'unseal' it, and then read it. After which, Harry would bring up Sirius.

They were expecting there to be an argument about giving Sirius a trial from Minister Fudge, he wouldn't like anything he saw as a slur on his Ministry. If it was something the Ministry could get public disapproval from, he didn't do it or ignored it and hoped they never found out. They would try to argue that Sirius confessed at his trial, at which point Amelia would step in and take it from there, presenting the fact that Sirius never got a trial, therefore how could he have confessed to anything?

If they tried to bring up the fact that Sirius killed all those Muggles and Peter Pettigrew, Amelia would bring Sirius's wand, which was still sitting in evidence, out and perform Priori Incantantum. She had done that when Severus and Sharpaxe first brought her in, and all that had been there had been a Lumos, a spell every parent knew that produced colored bubbles capable of keeping their young children occupied for hours, a Healing spell accompanied by a form of Tergio that was gentle enough to use on infants, and a couple of homing spells used by Aurors if they were tracking a suspect and wanted to let their squad know where they were, along with the tracking spells that usually accompanied it.

She had found nothing to suggest that Sirius cast the spell that blew up the street.

As for Peter Pettigrew being dead... they were going to argue that he couldn't possibly be dead. Otherwise there would have been more to find than just a finger. There would have been pieces of him all over the place, the few Muggles that had been blown up, a couple of them had been scattered all over, so why wasn't Pettigrew? There was no spell that blew somebody up so cleanly that there was absolutely nothing left.

They were also going to explain that Harry grew up Muggle with no idea the wizarding world existed until his eleventh birthday, as well as the fact that Harry just learned the Wizengamot existed two weeks ago, and then Harry was planning on appointing somebody else as his proxy.

They discussed Madam Bones or even Madam Longbottom, but both Amelia and Augusta were already sitting proxy for their own houses until Susan and Neville turned twenty-one and took their own seats, that, and, they both sat on the light side of the Wizengamot, while the Potters always made it a point to remain neutral. The only neutral house Severus could think of that they could trust to proxy for Harry would be House Greengrass.

They had historically always voted either very similar to House Potter, or completely on the opposite side. But they were in the Potter Alliance. Daniel Greengrass was fair, he was good friends with Amelia Bones, he had been very good friends with James, they knew that he would listen to Harry's opinion, and he would be sure to consult Harry on what Harry wanted House Potter to do. Of course, this would probably only be temporary until Sirius was back on his feet after Azkaban, and caught up on what had been happening in the world while he was gone.

"I think the Greengrasses would be a good idea until Sirius can do it. He will probably move his House to the neutral ground. He never did agree with what his House has stood for politically." Augusta agreed with Severus.

"What has the Black family stood for?" Harry asked. The adults all looked at each other.

"The current laws that Dumbledore has pushed through... add in a kill-on-sight order to some of the nastier Creature laws... you got something the Black family would have happily pushed through." Augusta said quietly. Harry's eyes widened.

"How is Dumbledore getting away with pushing these through in my name?" Harry asked.

"He's not using your name for all of them. He's only pushing the mild ones that the light would actually stand for personally. He's using the dark families to push through the harsher ones. We only know that they are all him because we are the ones monitoring his vault activity. He takes out a large sum of money from what he thinks is your vaults, even though we are actually pulling it from his without his knowledge, and then that same amount ends up in the vaults of somebody close to an influential Dark Family, the next Wizengamot session, a law is pushed through against creatures. We arrested one of those people he gives money to, we obliviated him afterwards of course, and... questioned him. Turns out, Dumbledore pays him and several others to leave folders with these laws on the desk of a Dark Family lord. All them heavily charmed to make the Lord think it was their idea." Sharpaxe said.

Augusta had covered her mouth with her hands. "He would have to be very careful which Lord he chooses. Some rings would protect against any kind of mental manipulations like that."

"We think Dumbledore doesn't know about that. Either that, or he is actually delusional as to believe that he is powerful enough as to be able to get around the ancient magics." Severus said. "Either way, these Lords are still presenting his laws as their own. Which means that they don't care how it got on their desk, they just like what they are reading." Harry looked sick when he heard that. He had read some pretty nasty laws against Creatures. "Luckily, not all the laws they present actually make it through. Those are just the milder ones."

"Just the fact that those manage to get through means Dumbledore isn't doing his job as your proxy, if he were to vote against them, none of them would ever get through."

"So, we have a plan for the Wizengamot?" When they all nodded. Augusta continued. "Then I shall ask Daniel to come for a visit so we can talk to him about taking proxy temporarily. What are we going to do when Dumbledore finds out Harry came before the Wizengamot? You know it will be all over the press. Especially that he was responsible for Sirius' release, and that he heard his parents will."

"Well, I already brewed those potions he wants to give Harry, and he has no way of knowing what the Black ring protects against... all the Families tried to keep that secret. Only their account managers really knew about who had what enchantments... the Goblins helped enchant them, after all. So... after the feast, he shouldn't be too much trouble. If he asks though, one of the Potter elves finally managed to get passed whatever enchantments were hiding him from them, and took him to Gringotts. We can tell him Mipsy was watching the records in the Misuse of Magic office or something. Obviously, anything we tell him after that would be the truth, as long as we keep my involvement secret from him. The goblins got in touch with the Longbottoms, and asked them to take Harry in for the remainder of the summer. They mentioned Sirius Black after giving you an inheritance test and showed you your parents will. It won't be any surprise to him, the goblins have been trying to get the Wizengamot to read their wills for years. After that, you got in touch with Amelia Bones about getting him a trial."

"And after the feast, he will believe that despite these setbacks, Harry is still in his control. Because he will have loyalty and other controlling potions in his system, and he won't know the Black Heir ring negates those potions." Augusta summed up.

"Precisely."

"Why can't I have a normal life?" Harry asked Hedwig as he pet her on the head. She hooted at him and sent him reassurances through the link.

"So, I will be at the Wizengamot, and I will bring the wills. It will be quicker this way, we won't have to wait while the Minister tries to stall us by sending someone to search for the original copies. Even then, we have no idea of knowing whether or not Dumbledore has tampered with those somehow on the off chance that they did get read." Sharpaxe said. "Are you ready for this, Harry? This is a big responsibility for someone so young." He said gently (for a goblin, anyway).

"Yeah, I think I can manage it." Harry said, smiling at everyone.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore slammed some of his clothes in his suitcase. He really didn't want to go to the ICW conference this year, he had to be on the look out for Harry. He also had some important bills going through the Wizengamot in a few days.

He had no idea that those bills would never even be considered, they would never even get that far.


	11. Chapter 11

_Albus Dumbledore slammed some of his clothes in his suitcase. He really didn't want to go to the ICW conference this year, he had to be on the look out for Harry. He also had some important bills going through the Wizengamot in a few days._

 _He had no idea that those bills would never even be considered, they would never even get that far._

It was cold, and wet. It was very wet here. Of course, that was to be expected with being on an island covered in near constant storms and crawling with Dementors. It didn't really mean much either when the spray from the high waves was also constantly reaching up and soaking inmates through the small slits in the wall that the guards called windows.

One of these inmates, was Sirius Black.

He was currently laying in a corner furthest from the windows, curled up in his animagus form, a big, shaggy black dog.

He looked up when he heard footsteps in the hallway outside. It sounded like one of the human guards was coming. They rarely came down this way, this was maximum security, which meant the Dementors were outside these cells nearly 24/7. The human guards didn't like coming anywhere near the creatures if they didn't have to. Understandable, Sirius mused, but at the same time completely unfair.

He wasn't sure whose cell they were visiting today, but just to be safe... he changed back into a human, almost immediately he was hit with the cold and the hopelessness that he avoided by being a dog. He whimpered and resisted the temptation to turn back, if the human guards found out about his animagus form, they would add wards to his cell to keep him from changing, and then he really would go as insane as his dear cousin just two cells down.

He was shocked when Amelia Bones and a couple of Aurors stopped outside his cell along with one of the guards, who promptly opened the cell door.

"Sirius Black. It's your lucky day, we finally found where your godson has been stashed away. Imagine his surprise when he learned his godfather was sitting in prison, and never even received a trial?" Amelia said lightly.

He was tempted to ask where Snape had been all these years, but remembered that the fact that him and Severus Snape shared a godson was supposed to be a secret, known only to Moody, the goblins and the Healer that wrote up Harry's birth certificate. He didn't know if that fact had changed or not. Well, he supposed Dumbledore might know or not, who knew.

"So, does that mean I'm finally getting out of here? I think my thirty days holding is up." He tried to say just as lightly, but it came out as more of a croak.

She raised an eyebrow. "Assuming you are found innocent. Which, considering Heir Potter is demanding you be given Veritaserum, plus the complete lack of evidence against you... I would say your chances are good. Now, the Wizengamot session starts in..." She checked her watch. "Three hours. Plenty of time for you to get cleaned up and cleared medically for Veritaserum. Assuming you actually move, and don't stand there forever." She said with a raised eyebrow.

He blinked at them before he moved forward, letting the Aurors bind his hands together, not like he could try to go anywhere anyway, let alone muster up any strength for any kind of resistance.

Like he was actually going to try, he was finally getting out of here.

* * *

Severus sat in the back row of the public gallery of the courtroom used by the Wizengamot. He acknowledged Moody when the old Auror sat next to him. He knew Sharpaxe and even Griphook were here somewhere, and Harry had come in about half an hour ago with Madam Longbottom and was now waiting in the seating area set aside for the Heirs. The other Heirs of what was the Potter Alliance were sitting around him, a few were talking quietly to him, especially Daphne Greengrass. She was probably asking him questions about her father being the temporary proxy. They had told him about the situation with Sirius, so he knew that his position was temporary until Sirius was back on his feet. They just wanted to make sure Dumbledore had his manipulative butt out of it. Severus was now waiting, rather impatiently too, for the Minister to open this session.

Since Dumbledore was gone for the ICW conference, Fudge assumed his duties.

Which was both a good thing and a bad thing.

Good because the man would do as told if they worded this right and pushed him into the right corner. Bad because he normally tended to listen to the wrong people. Like that toad Umbridge.

He sat up straighter when he saw Fudge stand up and bang his gavel. "This session is now in order. As many of you know, the Chief Warlock is currently out of the country at the ICW conference. Therefore, I am taking his place for this session. Clerk, are there any Family announcements to be made before we begin with our agenda for the day?" He asked.

The Clerk stood up. "Yes, Minister. We have received notice of the Lord Greengrass of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass has been appointed proxy for the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter until further notice." He said, and the room burst into whispers. The Light side of the room looked angry, except for those of the Potter Alliance, they had received notice prior to this, even if the Potter Alliance technically no longer existed, at least not until they made up their minds and the Alliance was put back together again. And the Clerk stating that this was until further notice made it known that this was temporary, that there might be a change in the future.

Severus smirked when he saw the Light's reactions. Dumbledore had been voting the Potter seats as Light for years, after all. Even though the Potter seats were to be strictly neutral. They just carried too much influence. Moody raised an eyebrow at the move, but he didn't say anything.

"Order! You will be silent and show the proper decorum of your stations. Thank you, Clerk, continue." Fudge said, although he too was shocked. What had happened? Did Potter and Dumbledore have a falling out? Or did Potter just decide it was time to move his family seats back where they belonged? Or did something else happen?

The Clerk cleared his throat. "Lord Greengrass, do you accept the duties and responsibilities of sitting proxy to the House Potter?"

Lord Greengrass stood up and raised in wand in front of him. "I, Lord Daniel Greengrass of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass, do accept the duties and responsibilities of the House Potter in the all political affairs, and pledge to uphold my duties honorably and responsibly." He said. The seat with the Potter crest on it glowed silver and gold for a moment before it faded, magic accepting his oath.

He sat down and the Clerk continued on, reading the next announcement and wincing. Not this again. He didn't even have to read the request, it was always the same. "Account Manager Sharpaxe again asks that the Potter Wills be read." He said blankly, staring ahead and waiting for the explosion. He was not disappointed. Moody sat up straighter in his seat, this was what he was here for. To hear the Wills being read, and determine for himself whether or not Snape told the truth.

After five minutes of sitting and listening to the Lords and Lady's of the Wizengamot shout and yell all kinds of insults against the goblins and yell about how they had to respect Dumbledore's and Harry Potter's wishes that it be left alone, Severus saw Harry catch Daniel's eye and nod. Daniel nodded back and stood, yelling over the crowd. "The House Potter agrees with this request!" He had to repeat himself several more times until he had everybodies attention, before he went on. "The House Potter agrees with this request, in fact, it was Heir Potter who requested for his account manager to come and try this again." He said firmly.

Minister Fudge scoffed. "We've all been told for years that Heir Potter wanted nothing to do with it, 'let the past lie' he said! Why would he suddenly change his mind now?"

"We've been hearing that out of Dumbledore's mouth, with no guarantee that Heir Potter actually spoke those words beyond Dumbledore's say-so. I propose we hear this directly out of Heir Potter's mouth this time." Daniel said. He turned towards the Heir's and beckoned for someone to come down. "Harry?"

The crowd started to whisper, whispers that only grew louder as people caught sight of Harry making his way down towards the floor, the whispers grew louder yet when Sharpaxe and Griphook both appeared and joined him, although they stood off to the side while Harry took the center of the room.

Harry stood there for a moment and gathered himself before he spoke. When he did, he spoke softly, "I was... surprised when two weeks ago, an elf named Mipsy appeared in my bedroom, and started spouting off stuff about being the Head Elf for the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. Naturally, my first question was, what is the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter." The crowd gasped. What did he mean? Severus smirked. Moody narrowed his eye again. "As such, she apparently decided to take me to Sharpaxe, where I learned that my family holds seats on this body." He gestured towards the Lords and Lady's. "You see, I grew up Muggle. With no idea magic existed or that I was a wizard until Rubeus Hagrid brought me my school letter on my eleventh birthday. I had no idea of my status as either Heir Potter, or even the 'Boy-Who-Lived'." He said this was so much contempt that nobody was left in any doubt of just what he thought of that title. They were just shocked at what they had just heard. Their savior grew up not knowing his heritage?

"I don't know what Professor Dumbledore has told you, but I never laid eyes on the man until the opening feast at Hogwarts this past year. I certainly never told him any such rubbish about wanting to leave the past in the past." He said, and his voice took on a sharper tone. "Two weeks ago, I learned that my parents left a will, and I learned that I had a godfather, but because nobody here will allow a trusted friend and associate of the House Potter to do his job and see to it that the last wishes of the former Lord and Lady Potter, my parents, are carried out, my godfather is currently sitting in prison. But I will get to that later. For now, I am demanding that my parents wills be read. Now." He said with his eyes narrowed and a sharp tone to his voice.

"Why should we listen to Sharpaxe? He's a goblin!" Somebody demanded to know.

Harry was honestly confused, and he showed it all over his face. "So? Your point?"

"My po- He's not human!"

"Yeah...? Your point?" Harry was really confused by now. What were they trying to get at?

"My point is, he's a beast, he's not intelligent enough for this."

Moody and Severus both pinched the bridge of their nose, muttering, "Idiot/Dunderhead."

Harry stood there and blinked at them for a moment, he was so confused and it showed. "So... let me get this straight. You let them handle and control the entirety of the Wizarding world's finances, a job that requires trust that they won't rob you blind or make bad decisions, a job that requires extensive knowledge of business, finance, and who knows what else, and you are going to sit there and tell me that they are unintelligent? How does that even make sense?" He glanced at Sharpaxe and Griphook, who both shrugged.

"Don't look at me, the human mind is the one thing I don't understand, and I've been working with the Potter family for 150 years. Your clan is all crazy." Sharpaxe said, shaking his head.

"Truth." Moody muttered. "I was friends with Charlus, and then trained James. Both took reckless to insanity sometimes."

"You do realize, that if they weren't intelligent, the wizarding world would have been in a major economic crisis years ago, right? I was reading one of my family journals last night, until the goblins took control of the wizarding banking system, the economy was pretty much destroyed, right? Because Wizards were in charge of it." Harry said, raising an eyebrow at the person who spoke up against the goblins.

Griphook coughed. "Heir Potter, we are getting off track here."

"Right, sorry. I just really don't understand how wizards can be so disrespectful to the race they have in charge of their money." He shrugged. "My parents wills?" He prompted.

"Well, I mean- All is favor of unsealing the Potter Wills and reading them?" The Minister finally asked after sputtering for a minute.

Daniel immediately put forth the Potter and Greengrass votes in favor of reading the wills, which basically meant that unless every single other Lord in the Hall voted against, they already won the vote. Severus caught the eye of his own proxy and nodded. The Prince seats immediately showed up on the board as in favor. Quickly followed by all the Potter Alliance, and most of the other neutral and Light families. Severus and the goblins smirked. All these years of trying and failing to get them to allow the wills be read, and all it took was getting Harry in front of them.

"Very well." Fudge said, sounding grumpy. "Somebody send someone down to the records room and..."

Griphook cut him off, "Actually Minister, Lord and Lady Potter left a copy of their wills in their personal vaults, just in case something like this were to happen. We have those copies here, with us." He said, as Sharpaxe held up the envelope with both the Potter and Gringotts seals on them. "I swear, on my honor as the Prince of the Goblin nation, that these have only been opened once, and have not been altered in any way." Griphook said. "Madam Bones, if you will?" He asked.

He ignored Harry's gaping at him when he declared himself to be the Goblin Prince.

Amelia smiled at him and came down. She took the envelope and opened it, clearing her throat and starting to read:

 _The Last Will and Testament of Lord James Charlus Potter_

 _I, Lord James Charlus Potter, declare this to be my last will and testament on this date, August 22, 1981, all others before this date are to be considered null and void._

 _Before anything else is said, the Secret-Keeper for myself and my family is Peter Pettigrew. Sirius Black was a decoy, he was the obvious choice, so we decided to switch at the last moment. If this will is being read, then it is because I and my wife are dead and Peter Pettigrew betrayed us. Now, onto business._

 _If my wife, Lily survives me, she is naturally given full custody of my son and Heir, Harold James Potter, as well as full control of the Family vaults and seats until our son is of age and ready to take responsibility himself. In the event that neither I nor my Lily survive to raise our Harry, the following people are to be given custody of my son and Heir:_

 _Sirius Orion Black- Harry's godfather and Blood-adopted father, with my full blessing_

 _Frank and Alice Longbottom- Alice is Harry's godmother and both are close family friends_

 _Remus Lupin- A close family friend_

 _Andromeda and Theodore Tonks- distant cousins and family friends_

 _Amelia Bones- Family friend_

 _Any other member of the Potter political Alliance._

 ** _Under no circumstances is my son and Heir to go anywhere near my wife's sister and her husband. They hate magic with everything they have and are not suitable to raise any child, let alone a magical one._**

 ** _Albus Dumbledore is also not to have anything whatsoever to do with the placement of my son and Heir. He is not under any circumstances to have any amount of control over the Potter seats, the Family Vaults, or the Potter businesses._**

 _There is a vault set up, solely for the use of the guardian of my Son. It is setup to allow 200 Galleons to be withdrawn a month, the money is to go towards the care and well-being of my son. Should the money not be used as such, the guardian in question will face charges of embezzlement. I ask that the goblins be given leave to deal with it, in the following ways. Half of their monetary value will be seized and added to the Potter fortune as repayment. Any and all properties they own will also be seized and added to the Potter holdings. After that, the goblins have my permission to do with them what they will._

 _To my son, I leave everything with the exception of the following:_

 _To Peter Pettigrew, I leave the wish that when you are caught, you will be thrown in a cell, and the key thrown into the North Sea. I also leave the information to make sure the cell you are placed in has anti-animagus wards to ensure you don't escape, you little rat._

 _To Sirius Black, you have full custody of my son and Heir should anything happen to Lily, I also leave you 1,000,000 Galleons, seeing as neither of us know whether or not your Grandfather listened to your mother and actually disowned you. You are also welcome to use any of the main Potter properties whenever you need them._

 _To Remus Lupin, I leave you the job of teaching my son all he needs to know, as well as 2,000,000 Galleons from my personal vault. Don't object, just take it. You also, are welcome to use any of the main Potter properties whenever you have need of them._

 _To Severus Snape, I leave my sincerest apologies for everything we ever did in school. Look after my and Lily's son when you get a chance. I am also leaving you a 5% share in Potter Farms and Apothecary. I'm sure you will find use for all the potions ingredients raised there._

 _To Frank Longbottom, I leave you with the task of teaching Harry how to fight. The world is dangerous, teach him how to survive in it. It is mine and Lily's hope that Harry and Neville grow up remaining as close as they are now._

 _Harry, I am sorry, that I never got to see you grow up. But it is my sincerest wish that you are there, listening to this, because that means that you are alive. Of course, I also wish that you weren't reading this, because that would also mean that I would still be alive, therefore this wouldn't be necessary. Learn all you can about our family, Harry. For our family has a strong, rich history. Don't let Sirius teach you too many bad habits._

 _Witnessed by: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

 _Griphook, Prince of the Goblin Nation_

 _Sharpaxe, Senior Accounts Manager to the Potter Family_

The hall was dead silent. Peter Pettigrew was the Secret Keeper? Not Sirius Black? And Dumbledore knew about it, since he was witness to the will. He also knew he was prohibited from having any kind of influence over Harry, yet all these years... he claimed that he was raising Harry somewhere secret and safe. All these years, he was sitting proxy for the Potter seats. He said it was what James wanted. But here, James clearly said he was not to have any kind of control. What was going on here?

"That didn't mention you being godfather or being a possible guardian." Moody observed.

"It does, we just asked Amelia not to read that part, not with so many Dumbledore supporters and Death Eater's in the room. It's too dangerous, for both me and Harry, for that kind of information to be public." Severus replied.

"And Sirius really wasn't the Secret-Keeper... I knew something was off when I was following him." Moody muttered, slightly bitter that one of his greatest students was currently in Azkaban, and he never lifted a finger to do anything to stop it happening.

"Heir Potter, where did you grow up?" Minister Fudge asked.

"With my Muggle Aunt and Uncle. The ones that dad clearly said in his will that I was not to go anywhere near." Harry answered somewhat absently, staring at the parchment in Amelia's hands almost longingly. A few people shifted angrily.

She noticed and smiled at him before she glanced up at Severus. She had deliberately left the part out about Harry having two godfathers. This was too public a place, and there were several Death Eaters on the Wizengamot that managed to escape prison by waving a bit of money at the right people. She would let Harry read it for himself later, with the parts she left out.

 _ **The Last Will and Testament of Lady Lily Elaine Potter nee Evans**_

 _I, Lady Lily Elaine Potter nee Evans, declare this to be my last will and testament on this date, August 22, 1981, all others before this date are to be considered null and void._

 _Before anything else is said, the Secret-Keeper for myself and my family is Peter Pettigrew. Sirius Black was a decoy, he was the obvious choice, so we decided to switch at the last moment. If this will is being read, then it is because I and my husband are dead and Peter Pettigrew betrayed us. Now, onto business._

 _If my husband, James, survives me, he is naturally given full custody of our son, Harold James Potter, as well as the warning that Harry better grow up to be a responsible young man, and knows how to behave himself. In the event that neither I nor my James survive to raise our Harry, the following people are to be given custody of my son:_

 _Sirius Orion Black- Harry's godfather and Blood-adopted father, with my full blessing_

 _Frank and Alice Longbottom- Alice is Harry's godmother and both are close family friends_

 _Remus Lupin- A close family friend_

 _Andromeda and Theodore Tonks- distant cousins and family friends_

 _Amelia Bones- Family friend_

 _Any other member of the Potter political Alliance._

 _ **Under no circumstances is my son to go anywhere near my sister and her husband. He is not to even know they exist. They hate magic with everything they have and are not suitable to raise any child, let alone a magical one.**_

 _ **Albus Dumbledore is also to not have anything whatsoever to do with the placement of my son and Heir. He is not under any circumstances to have any amount of control over anything Potter, HE IS TO STAY AWAY FROM MY SON. I don't care what Trelawny says.**_

 _There is a vault set up, solely for the use of the guardian of my Son. It is setup to allow 200 Galleons to be withdrawn a month, the money is to go towards the care and well-being of my son. Should the money not be used as such, the guardian in question will face charges of embezzlement. I ask that the goblins be given leave to deal with it, in the following ways. Half of their monetary value will be seized and added to the Potter fortune as repayment. Any and all properties they own will also be seized and added to the Potter holdings. After that, the goblins have my permission to do with them what they will._

 _To my son, I leave everything with the exception of the following:_

 _To Peter Pettigrew, I leave the wish that when you are caught, you will be thrown in a cell, and the key thrown into the North Sea. I also leave the information to make sure the cell you are placed in has anti-animagus wards to ensure you don't escape, you little rat._

 _To Sirius Black, you have full custody of my son should anything happen to James, I also leave you with a warning that Harry better not turn into as big a prankster as you. While I can appreciate a good prank, sometimes you and James went a little overboard. There were even a few times where you crossed a line and it was no longer a harmless prank. I expect you to be more responsible than that with my son._

 _To Remus Lupin, I leave you the job of teaching my son all he needs to know, as well as 2,000,000 Galleons from my own personal vault. Don't object, just take it. I also give you free reign of some of my private collection of charms books._

 _To Severus Snape, I leave my deepest regrets of everything I said back in fifth year. I shouldn't have let that one incident end our friendship like that. That friendship was the most important thing to both of us, and I just tossed it aside because of one word said in a moment of anger and humiliation. I am also leaving you with my research journal. It has everything I have managed to find and all my theories on making the Wolfsbane safer and easier on Werewolves. I think I'm close to a breakthrough!_

 _To Alice Longbottom, I will leave you the task of making sure Harry grows up respectful, and knowing the finer etiquette that the men in his life won't be able to teach him. You are in charge of keeping Sirius in line. I am also leaving you free reign of the dresses in my personal vault._

 _Harry, I am sorry, that I never got to see you grow up. But it is my sincerest wish that you are there, listening to this, because that means that you are alive. Of course, I also wish that you weren't reading this, because that would also mean that I would still be alive, therefore this wouldn't be necessary. Learn all you can, Harry. Study hard. Listen to Remus, he will make sure you grow up responsible. Kidding, James and Sirius are responsible, when they want to be. I am so sorry, that I can't be there._

 _Witnessed by: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

 _Griphook, Prince of the Goblin Nation_

 _Sharpaxe, Senior Accounts Manager to the Potter Family_

Once more, Amelia left out a few parts relating to Severus. Again, there were too many people. Too many of them former Death Eaters, too many of them in Dumbledore's pocket. Not to mention the press. She could almost guarantee that the full contents of these wills would be plastered all over the front page tomorrow. Vultures.

There was actually another part that she didn't read about Severus. The 'real part', the part that wasn't safe to read in the company of so many of Dumbledore's people and Death Eaters. This part read, 'To Severus Snape, I am grateful that you were stubborn enough not to let me toss our friendship aside. It is my hope that you take my research and help people. Take care of my son, I know this might be difficult considering your position, but I know you will find a way and do the best you can. Try not to fight with Sirius too much, as much as I know the two of you enjoy it. Take care of yourself Sev.'

Sharpaxe came forward and laid a hand on Harry's arm when he stood there for a moment with his head bowed, for the moment, they just waited for somebody to finally ask the question. What about Sirius Black? If he wasn't the Secret-Keeper...

Finally, it was asked.

"What's this nonsense about Peter Pettigrew being the Secret-Keeper? Didn't Sirius Black confess to that charge?" Somebody called.

"Good question. I guess it's a good thing I have his trial transcripts in my hand, then isn't it?" Amelia said, giving the Wills to Harry.

"Your hands are empty." Augusta helpfully pointed out.

"Oh, I guess there are. Thank you for pointing that out, Augusta. I guess that means there are no trial transcripts. Which would only mean that there was never any trial." Amelia said with a shrug.

The room was dead silent. "How can he not have received a trial? It is the law that EVERYONE receive a trial, no matter the circumstances or the charges." Lord Abbot said.

Amelia shrugged. "All I found when I looked was for a court order signed by Bartimus Crouch, former Minister Bagnold, and Chief Warlock Dumbledore for Sirius Black to go straight to Azkaban." She answered. There was an outcry. The contents of the Potter wills had just thrown everything they thought they knew about Sirius Black into doubt. If he really wasn't the Secret-Keeper, then was he really one of Voldemort's?

Moody was shaking in rage, how dare those three send one of HIS students to Azkaban without even a mockery of a trial? Even Crouch Jr. got that much!

"Well, this won't do. He has been sitting in Azkaban for the past ten years. These wills have thrown our knowledge of his guilt into doubt, we must give him his trial so that all doubts can be laid to rest." Lord Selwyn stood up from his side of the room. None of the Dark side wanted Sirius freed, most of them knew he was innocent after all. But, they also didn't know whether or not he had truly been disowned. Narcissa Malfoy had been voting the Black seats all these years as the only Black either not dead, imprisoned, or disowned. If Sirius were to be freed, and it were discovered that he was the Black Lord... the Dark would lose fourteen votes. But at the same time... if it was proven that Sirius was innocent... this would only serve to drag Dumbledore through the mud.

And that was worth it to lose the Black votes.

"Now see here, we can't just...' Fudge sputtered. "Even if he wasn't the Secret-Keeper, he still murdered all those Muggles plus Peter Pettigrew." He said firmly. A few people nodded in agreement.

Amelia held up hand. "How do we know that without a trial? I found no record of anybody even casting Priori Incantantum on his wand. As for Pettigrew being killed. If you were to look at the pictures of the crime scene again, you would notice that all the Muggle's bodies are scattered from the explosion. Yet, ALL that was found of Pettigrew was a single finger. Not even blood was found. The Potter's wills just stated that any cell Pettigrew was placed in should be under anti-animagus wards. And then, both James and Lily Potter called him a rat. How do we know it was not him that killed those people, and then escaped as a rat?" She asked. Again, the hall was completely silent.

"I propose that we get his wand out of evidence. And cast Priori Incantantum, determine the truth of the matter." Lord Abbot said.

"Already done." Amelia said as she motioned to one of her Aurors off to the side. Everyone was now wondering just how much of this entire conversation, from the moment Harry stepped onto the floor, was planned.

Dawlish stepped forward and presented a sealed evidence box. This seal was charmed so it could only be opened by the Director of the DMLE. She opened it, "This is Sirius Black's wand. Priori Incantantum." She said as she held her wand tip to Sirius's. Sure enough, exactly as Severus, Sharpaxe, Griphook, and Amelia expected, all that appeared was Lumos, the bubble spell, a Healing spell along with the infant-friendly form of Tergio, and the Auror homing and tracking spells.

There were no blasting hexes, no cutting curses, nothing that even suggested Sirius Black was the one to blow up the street. Everyone was silent again.

"I move that we give Sirius Black a trial and come to the truth of this matter. Merely sitting here and talking will not help us." Daniel stood up again and said.

Fudge looked around and sighed. His reputation was going to be ruined if he did, ruined if he didn't. He had to find some way of bringing this around, especially with the press here. This could not end well for his image. "Very well, then. We will schedule a trial date for..."

"Pardon me, Minister, but I have retrieved Sirius Black from Azkaban." Amelia said, gesturing to another Auror off to the side. "Bring him up." He nodded and left quickly.

"Now, see here, Amelia. This isn't a court date, this is a normally scheduled Wizengamot meeting, to go over legal policy. You can't just drag up prisoners whenever you feel like." Fudge protested.

Amelia cocked her head. "Technically, Minister, we can only legally hold a prisoner without trial for a maximum of thirty days. Something that Sirius himself reminded me of, just this morning when I went to get him. He has been there, without trial for almost eleven years now. Can he even still be considered a prisoner? I could, just declare him a free man here and now, and be done with the matter. However, I have been asked that he does receive a trial, that way there are no more lingering doubts. Like there are still lingering doubts about gentlemen sitting here in this very room who bought their way out of a trial." A few people shifted angrily at her near-accusation. But since she didn't outright accuse anyone, saying anything would only draw attention.

"He could very well lie, during this, he is of a Most Ancient and Noble House, with the status of whether or not he was actually disowned still up in the air all these years later. He has nobody to request..."

"Actually, Minister. I think you will find that, as Sirius Black's blood-adopted son, as well as being his godson and a member of House Black through his grandmother Dorea Potter nee Black, Heir Potter has the legal authority to request a trial with use of Veritaserum." Griphook broke in smoothly.

"Which is exactly what I am doing." Harry said softly, still staring at Fudge, daring him to protest THAT.

"And, Gringotts never received notice of Sirius Black being disowned by Arcturus Black, we did receive notice from one Walburga Black, however since the then Head of House never filed notice... Sirius Black is the Lord of House Black."

Fudge visibly deflated. "If you are calling for Veritaserum as his Heir, then you need to have questions prepared for us to ask."

Harry nodded and pulled said questions out of his pouch, handing them off to Amelia. Then he turned to go back to his seat just as they brought Sirius in. Sirius stopped walking and stared at him for a moment, drinking in the sight of his precious godson, well, son. But... he wasn't sure just how much Harry knew yet. He didn't want to move too fast and scare him off. He didn't know if Harry wasn't already living with a good family, and happy where he was.

He continued moving when he was prodded in the back by Kingsley Shacklebolt. Sirius remembered Shack was only a few more years ahead of James and Sirius in the Auror department, at least, until Sirius and James both joined the Hit-Wizards.

He watched intently as Harry finally turned and headed back up to his seat in the Heir section. Only then did he tune into what the Minister was saying. He noted absently that Dumbledore wasn't here. Somebody really planned this well, that meddling old coot would have only made this even more difficult. He and James only joined the Order to keep an eye on Remus and Lily. Lily joined because she didn't want to sit back and do nothing, so when Dumbledore came recruiting, her and James signed up. Remus only joined, because, as much as the Lupin family didn't like Dumbledore for practically stealing John Lupin's job and reputation, he still felt indebted to Dumbledore for allowing him into Hogwarts.

"... following charges. Membership in a criminal organization known as the Death Eaters, unknown criminal acts as a Death Eater, betraying the Potters to You-Know-Who resulting in the indirect murder of James and Lily Potter and the attempted murder of Harry Potter, and murder of twelve Muggles and one wizard by the name of Peter Pettigrew. How do you plead to these charges?" Fudge asked him. How on earth did this man come to be Minister?

"Not guilty, to any of it." Sirius croaked.

"Very well. Administer the Veritaserum. Clerk, you are in charge of the question list provided by Heir Potter-Black." Sirius nearly glowed at hearing Harry's title. Heir Potter-BLACK. That meant Harry did know he was blood-adopted. Now, if he could just determine whether Harry would ever want to live with him...

He tilted his head back to make it easier on Shacklebolt to give him the required three drops. Hoping that there was nothing in those questions to get the wrong people in trouble. He didn't think it would be a problem, after all, Harry provided the list, and Sharpaxe was here, so Harry would have had help.

"Name?" The Clerk asked once he saw Sirius's eyes glaze over, a sign the potion was working.

"Sirius Orion Black." Sirius said dully.

"Former occupation?"

"Hit-Wizard." Sirius answered. If it wasn't for the fact that people tend to lose all emotion and enter a trance-like state when under Veritaserum, the witnesses to this impromptu trial would have thought he sounded almost smug. As it was, a few people gasped. They were supposed to be the elite. The Clerk actually gulped. He always found the Hit-Wizard squad's to be... just a little intimidating.

"Right, well, onto the prepared questions. Are you a Death Eater?"

"Never." Sirius said, some emotion bleeding through his 'trance'. A few people murmured, but Fudge banged his gavel once. During the questioning, only the Clerk was allowed to speak, until they got to the end, then the Family representative who provided the question list, in this case Harry, would be permitted to ask his question.

"Were you the Potter's Secret-Keeper?"

"No, Peter Pettigrew was."

"Who cast the Fidelius Charm, over the Potter's house in Godric's Hollow."

"Albus Dumbledore."

"Describe what happened that Halloween night when James and Lily Potter were murdered."

"I went to go check on Peter, and bring him his food for the week, but when I got to his hideout, he wasn't there. There was no sign of a struggle though, so I figured something was wrong. I started to get a bad feeling when I looked in his bedroom and saw most of his clothes gone. So, I went to go check on James and Lily, see if they knew anything. When I got there though... part of the roof was caved in, it was the section right over the nursery, where Harry would have been considering it was past his bed-time. I ran in, and tripped. I tripped over James body." His emotions were really starting to bleed through the Veritaserum now. "I ran upstairs, yelling for Lily, but she didn't answer. I went to the nursery, hoping I wasn't going to see what I thought I was going to see. She was there, dead, with Harry sitting in his crib crying. His head was covered in blood, so I healed him as best as I could. I didn't have time to think about James and Lily, I had to take care of Harry." By now most of the women in the courtroom were crying, and there was a faint disturbance as Hedwig flew in, sensing her wizard's distress.

"I was leaving the house with Harry, to bring him to the goblin Healers, I figured it was safer there than at St. Mungoes with all the Death Eaters crawling around still. I was stopped by the door by Hagrid, he told me to give Harry to him, he would take him to safety, I don't know why I handed him over, but the next thing I knew, I was giving my godson and adopted son to Hagrid and tossing him the keys to my motorcycle, before I took off after Peter Pettigrew. He was the only one who could have told Voldemort where James and Lily were." He said. He had a slightly befuddled expression on his face. Severus looked like one of life's mysteries had now been solved.

"And when you found Peter Pettigrew, you killed him and those Muggles?"

"I didn't kill those Muggles, and Peter isn't dead." Sirius scowled. "When I caught up to him, he started yelling for the whole street to hear, that I killed James and Lily, asking me how could I. Then, I underestimated him. Peter has never been strong, magically. He caught me so off guard with his accusations, that I didn't have time to react when he pulled his wand, and sent a blasting hex into the street behind him. He must have hit a gas line or something, because the next thing I knew, the street was exploding and he was cutting off his finger before transforming into the rat that he is and disappearing down the sewers."

"Peter Pettigrew is an animagus? Were any of the rest of you?"

"Yes, he's a rat. We all were. I'm a dog, and James was a stag."

"Why did you not register?"

"Because it was a war. It was safest to keep that kind of ability a secret. As well as a massive advantage, something our enemies wouldn't know about, so they wouldn't bother trying to defend or watch for it." Everyone nodded, that made sense. Up in the his seat, Harry was feverishly searching his photo-album for a picture of him, Ron, and Hermione that had Scabbers in it. Finally, he found it.

"I have no further questions. Heir Potter, have you thought of a follow-up?" He asked, turning to the Heir section only to see Harry hurrying down the steps with a photo-album in his hand, looking a strange mix between triumphant and disturbed.

"Yes, is this, what Peter Pettigrew looks like as a rat?" He asked, holding out his album for the Auror to take and show the picture to Sirius. He wasn't allowed near the prisoner. The Auror took it, and barely glanced at the picture of what was clearly Harry and his friends before holding the book in front of Sirius, who studied it for a moment, easily finding the rat in the picture.

"Yes, that's him alright." The man growled.

Harry nodded and took his book back, now appearing creeped out. "Heir Potter?" The Clerk asked.

"That picture, was of me, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger last year. With the addition of Ron's pet rat, Scabbers. A rat that is missing his toe, and Sirius just confirmed him to be Peter Pettigrew in his animagus form."


	12. Chapter 12

_Harry nodded and took his book back, now appearing creeped out. "Heir Potter?" The Clerk asked._

 _"That picture, was of me, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger last year. With the addition of Ron's pet rat, Scabbers. A rat that is missing his toe, and Sirius just confirmed him to be Peter Pettigrew in his animagus form."_

Neville stood up with a shocked exclamation. "Hold on! Scabber's is Peter Pettigrew? Harry, we let him sleep in our beds while Ron was in the infirmary!"

Harry nodded, looking green while everyone else murmured around them, a few of them looking green too, and outraged. "I know, and the Weasley's have had him in their home for eleven years..." He blanched. "And they have a daughter just starting Hogwarts in a few days."

Everyone gasped. Sirius had just identified the rat Scabbers as Peter Pettigrew, which meant the Weasley's unknowingly had a grown man, with, at the moment, doubtful moralities, in the same house as their now eleven year old daughter.

"Auror Dawlish, go get this rat." Amelia ordered.

"Now, Amelia, we can't just go seize some boys pet rat. All rats look the same." Fudge protested as Dawlish nodded and left. Nobody except Moody and Severus saw McNair slip out a side door. Presumably to go to the Weasley's. Moody got up and followed, telling Severus to stay behind, and show him the memory later.

"If there's a chance that is Peter Pettigrew, then it is my job to investigate. Especially with a young girl in the house." She said with a glare. "Besides, Minister, how many eleven year old common garden rats do you know of that's also missing a toe on the same exact hand Pettigrew cut off his finger?" She asked as she studied the picture further.

Fudge was sweating bullets. Not good, not good, not good! The press murmured amongst themselves that Fudge seemed very reluctant for all this to happen. It made them wonder just what their good minister was hiding.

The Clerk cleared his throat. "If I may, I have no further questions before me except for some clarification questions, but the prisoners answers were detailed enough, that I don't think they are needed. Administer the antidote, if you please." He said respectfully.

"Very well, we will proceed to the voting. I am adding the charge of being an unregistered animagus to the list." Fudge said grumpily. He knew he wouldn't be able to stick Sirius with any of the others. But he might be able to salvage something if he could charge the man in front of them with something.

"On the charge of membership in a criminal organization. Guilty or not guilty." He waited a few moments for the votes to come in. "Not guilty. Which would make the charges regarding his crimes within the organization null and void. On the charge of betraying the Potters to You-Know-Who resulting in the murders of James and Lily Potter and the attempted murder of Harry Potter, guilty or not guilty." A few moments, "Not guilty."

"On the charge of the murder of twelve Muggles, guilty or not guilty. Not guilty." He paused a moment to think. "I will wait for Dawlish to return with the pet rat until we declare the charge for murdering Peter Pettigrew. On the charge of being an unregistered animagus." He waited a moment before he breathed an inaudible sigh of relief. "Guilty. The mandatory punishment for not registering your animagus form is one year in Azkaban. Aurors."

"Now hold on!" Daniel stood up again before anybody else had a chance to protest. "Minister, he has already spent eleven years in Azkaban for crimes he did not commit. If you ask me, and I'm sure Heir Potter agrees, he has already served more than the mandatory punishment for not registering. What we should instead be debating is what kind of reparations the Ministry is going to make for such a grievous error." There were murmurs of agreement, while Sirius just sat there, going from watching Harry, to staring at Fudge with a raised eyebrow.

Fudge floundered for a bit before he finally conceded. "Very well!" He yelled. "But, you will be required to register before the Healers arrive to take you to St. Mungoes for evaluation." He warned Sirius, who just nodded.

"Actually, Minister," Griphook cut in. "Heir Potter-Black has already made arrangements with the goblins for Lord Black to be seen by our Healers."

Everyone blinked and turned to Harry, who just blinked and shuffled a bit before he shrugged. "Nothing against St. Mungoes, I just figured it would be a bit more..." He glanced towards the press. "Private." He finished. Sirius chuckled while the members of the press shifted.

What Harry didn't mention is that the goblins would ensure Dumbledore stayed out, and didn't try anything funny with Sirius. They didn't want to risk him charming or potioning Harry's father/godfather when he was still weak and relatively defenseless. After all, Harry would most likely be going to live with Sirius the next summer, so he was going to be a fairly big influence on Harry's life from now on.

"Very well, you will be required to register, then you will be taken straight to Gringotts, where you will stay until the Healers there declare you fit to leave, or other arrangements are made for your care." Everyone ignored the angry shifting and murmurs of those who spoke out against goblin intelligence. "The Ministry will grant you 1,000,000 Galleons in apology. We know it will not give you back the past eleven years, but we ask that you accept it and our deepest regrets that this happened."

Sirius nodded slowly and stood up, accepting his wand when Amelia handed it to him. "Who has current guardianship over Harry?" He asked softly, the first he had spoken on his own since being let out of his cell.

It was Sharpaxe who answered. "His current guardians are sitting in Muggle prison, waiting for their trial before the combined court for embezzlement of funds." The _among other things_ went unsaid, but Sirius's next question proved that he heard it.

"Muggle prison? Don't tell me you were given to Petunia." He begged Harry. Harry wouldn't meet his eyes though.

"We will discuss this somewhere more private." Griphook suggested as Sharpaxe wandered closer to the press area and whispered harshly to them, probably threatening to bankrupt them if they printed anything without Sharpaxe's express permission. Especially Rita Skeeter, although in her case he just let her know that between the Potter and Black families, Harry and Sirius owned the Prophet. The goblins were already going to ensure the trial was completely private. Every human involved would be spelled to ensure they couldn't say anything about it to anyone (the press), and the courtroom itself would be spelled so animagi would be detected and expelled.

The goblins knew Rita Skeeter was an animagus. Their wards registered it every time she stepped foot in the bank. They just didn't tell people they had wards like that. All it would accomplish was getting the Ministry on their backs again about giving up the secret for their wards.

Sirius nodded. "If he has no guardians, then..."

Griphook interrupted. "You have automatic, undisputed guardianship since you are at the top of the list in both Lily and James wills, and since you blood-adopted the boy. There is nothing anybody can do legally to get him away from you." Harry moved closer to Sirius, who grinned at him.

Suddenly, Harry frowned. "Hey, Sharpaxe? Since Dumbledore was clearly not trusted by my parents when they wrote their wills, then why was he the only human witness?"

"Because he's the Chief Warlock. You read through the law book Madam Longbottom has, right?" Harry nodded. "Do you remember reading anything about a policy where the Chief Warlock has to sign off on wills and things for the Most Ancient and Noble Houses? It's easily the most unpopular policy among the other Houses, as it is rightly perceived as the Ministry trying to poke their noses where it doesn't belong, it would have only come into practice about fifteen years ago." He ignored how the Ministry officials on the Wizengamot and the Minister bristled, but they couldn't say anything since they were also surrounded by the heads, Heirs, and other representatives of those same Houses Sharpaxe just mentioned.

"Oh. The will wasn't a legal document unless Dumbledore was there to witness it and sign off. Without that, it was just a bunch of words." Harry said in realization. Sharpaxe nodded. Harry frowned. "Well, that's stupid. How is it any of the Ministry's business what the Heads bequeath and to who? That's private family business between those the Will mentions." There were a few murmured 'exactly's' coming from the Wizengamot. Sharpaxe just grinned ferally. Privately, Harry added that he hadn't been too happy about having his parents wills read in front of the whole Wizengamot, especially the press, but it was needed to get Sirius freed and begin the process of discrediting Dumbledore. After all, he knowingly ignored the contents of the Will of the Lord and Lady of House Potter and then withheld their sons inheritance from him. That was a serious matter.

"They tried to get somebody else there, to have another human witness, but... Dumbledore blocked them at every turn. Eventually, they had to concede defeat and just write their wishes already, trusting that we could keep Dumbledore in line if he tried anything. Unfortunately, Dumbledore acted before we even realized anything had happened, and they underestimated the prejudices within these walls that goblins face."

"I still don't get that." Harry said, shaking his head. Sharpaxe shrugged. There wasn't anything they could do about it.

Yet.

Right at that moment, Dawlish came back, dragging a rat-like figure behind him and followed by Moody, who was dragging another figure behind him, grumbling the whole time about idiots not having constant vigilance.

* * *

Dawlish left the fiasco that had started out as a normal, boring Wizengamot session with a bit of relief. The entire time, he'd been trying very hard not to bust a gut laughing at the way Minister Fudge was being walked all over by a twelve year old and a couple of goblins.

Granted, it was the most influential twelve year old in magical Britain along with the Prince of the Goblin Nation, but still.

Shaking his head, he took another moment to collect himself before Apparating to the Burrow. Frowning, he noticed that the place almost seemed... different. At first glance, it didn't look like anything changed, but when he looked closer, there were subtle differences.

The hen house looked like it had the walls replaced, the house itself looked more stable, and he could feel that the wards had been updated and even added to.

He sighed and went to knock. If he was going to take away a boys pet, he could at least be polite about it.

"Auror Dawlish. To what do we owe this pleasure?" Arthur asked in surprise when he opened the door.

"Business, I'm afraid, Arthur. I'm afraid I'm here for your sons rat. There's a possibility it may be an Animagus hiding out here." Dawlish said quietly.

Arthur stiffened in shock, "But we just got the ward scheme updated, with Animagus wards. They haven't registered any animagi coming or going." He said.

"They wouldn't if the Animagus in question was already here, and then never left." Dawlish said.

Arthur looked troubled. "He is very old..." Finally, he turned and gestured for Dawlish to follow him inside and into the kitchen. "Wait here, I'll go get him." He walked out muttering about how he would have to move fast to Stun him or he'd slip away.

As he left, Molly and Ginny walked in. "Dawlish. I didn't know you were coming by, tea?" She asked as she moved towards the pot.

"No, thanks. Arthur is just getting something for me, then I have to head back." He said with a polite nod.

They were interrupted by a shout from outside, even as Arthur ran downstairs clutching a rat in one hand and brandishing his wand in the other. He tossed the Stunned rat to Dawlish, then continued his way outside, with Dawlish following even while he conjured a cage and stuffed the rat inside.

He was not expecting to find Walden McNair and Moody fighting, with Arthur lying Stunned on the ground. Apparently, he must have chosen a bad moment to run out, and ran right into a Stunner. Either that, or Moody didn't want him getting in the way, Dawlish thought as he watched Alastor fighting. He debated joining them, but changed his mind in favor of keeping his grip on the cage when McNair took a moment out of his fight to try and summon it to him when his presence was noticed. His moment cost him dearly though, and he was very quickly scrambling back onto the defensive.

Dawlish placed a hasty anti-summoning charm on the cage before he started peppering McNair with various Stunners and Disarming charms, trying to finish the fight quickly so they could get back to the Wizengamot session turned criminal trial. Moody was throwing everything he could think of at him, non-lethal of course, they did want to question him, although a few, like the blood-boiling curse Moody threw out, made Dawlish question how worried the old Auror was about having a prisoner to interrogate. McNair managed to hold on for several minutes, that was, until the new wards the Weasley's got put up activated.

He was blasted with a high-powered Stunner, from somewhere in the general direction of the front door. When Dawlish looked, there was nobody there, although he saw Molly looking out the front window, looking worried while she shielded her daughter's eyes from the fight even as she held her wand out in front of her. He shook his head and went to wake up Arthur.

"Whoa," He looked around. "Did you really have to stun me?" He demanded of Moody.

Moody shrugged. "I didn't want you getting in the way. Besides, these goblin wards have a tendency to retaliate against attackers if the one controlling them is knocked unconscious by magical means for a certain amount of time." He grinned.

Arthur's jaw dropped. "You knocked me out just so you could have the use of my wards?! Are you insane?" He demanded.

Moody's grin grew wider, which only made him look more terrifying. "They do call me mad." He said with a smirk. He stomped over to McNair. "Now, why would you be coming here. You wouldn't be after Pettigrew, would you?" He mused. He grabbed McNair's left arm and pushed up the sleeve, revealing the Dark Mark.

"Well, well. Look'ee here. Dawlish, cast a revealing charm on that rat." He ordered. There was a scream from inside the house when Dawlish did so, forcing Pettigrew back to his human form when he glowed red. Arthur stared at Pettigrew.

"I don't want to know what is going on, just get that thing out of my house, and away from my children, before you don't have a person to interrogate." He growled, staring at Pettigrew. "And you better hope that thing stayed away from my daughter." He glared at Pettigrew the entire time Moody and Dawlish grabbed the two Death Eaters and apparated away with them.

When they landed in the atrium of the Ministry, Dawlish turned to Moody, "Why were you there? Not that I'm complaining."

"I saw this one slip out, just after you left. Figured it wasn't for a cup of tea. Decided to follow him. Glad I did. I'm sure you could have held him, but... it's been a while since I've seen any real action." Moody grunted as he grabbed his hostage by the arm and started dragging him along behind, not caring who saw or that McNair got scraped up in the process.

"Huh." Dawlish said, as he did the same, making sure his prisoner wasn't going to wake up and scurry away as a rat any time soon. "What did you think of the trial? Sirius and James were your protege's, weren't they?"

Moody grunted. "They were. I should have looked into Sirius's case more than I did years ago... I knew something was off, but..." He shook his head. "I'll talk to him later. The last thing I need is Sirius Black mad at me. Especially a Sirius Black who was trained by me and was later promoted to Hit-Wizard under that training."

"Aw, come on, Mad-Eye. We both know you could have gotten that promotion anytime. If you hadn't turned it down so many times, anyway."

"I didn't turn it down. Not the first time anyway." Moody said. He stopped and turned around. "There's a reason why people accuse me of being so paranoid, boy." He turned and started stomping away again.

Dawlish stood there for a moment and stared after him, before he scrambled to catch up to him, and actually reached past him to go in first when they reached the Wizengamot's courtroom. Whatever conversation that had been going on ended as soon as the door opened and Dawlish went in, still dragging Pettigrew. "We found Peter Pettigrew, Arthur was getting him for me when McNair there decided to attack. I might have lost the little rat if Moody hadn't seen him leave here and decide to follow." He said as he dragged Pettigrew to the middle of the room and threw him into the chair set there, making sure the magic-dampening chains rose to trap him.

The entire time, as soon as they stepped foot in the room with Pettigrew, Sirius was glaring at the man and growling, with Potter holding onto his arm, ready to hold him back if need be.

"Well, then I suppose that makes the charges regarding Peter Pettigrew's death null and void as well." The Clerk murmured, staring at Pettigrew with distaste.

"Wait! We still do not know that that is Pettigrew!" Fudge blustered.

Dawlish watched Potter meet Lord Greengrasses eyes and nod. A moment later, Lord Greengrass stood, "House Potter requests the use of Veritaserum to determine the truth of the matter." He said. "The questions used for Lord Black should be sufficient for a starting point."

"Either way you look at it, Minister, he was still found hiding at the Weasley house, as a rat, that alone would see him arrested for trespassing at the very least. Not to mention possibly endangering the Weasley family." Dawlish pointed out. He vaguely noticed Harry helping Sirius up the stairs to the Black seat before Harry himself went back to his own seat with the rest of the Heirs.

Sirius set a stark contrast to the other richly dressed Lords around him, considering he was still in his prison robes. He had clearly been allowed to clean up a bit, but nobody had bothered to give him new clothes. The person in charge of the prisoners in the holding cells clearly hadn't wanted to waste the time when Sirius was only going to go right back to his cell when the Wizengamot were done with him.

"Clerk, I know this is very short notice, but I'm putting it on notice that I'm claiming my family seats. And until the Goblin Healers clear me, I hope Lord Greengrass doesn't mind if I ask him to proxy? If Harry trusts him, then that's good enough for me."

Daniel stood, "I would be honored to help all I can until you are back on your feet again." He said with a small nod.

The Clerk sighed. This was definitely the most interesting Wizengamot session he had ever attended. "Very well, the notice is received. Lord Greengrass?"

Daniel nodded to him and once again raised his wand, "I, Lord Daniel Greengrass of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass, do accept the duties and responsibilities of the House Black in all political affairs, and pledge to uphold my duties honorably and responsibly." This time, the seat Sirius was sitting in, glowed silver and black.

Fudge groaned softly. How did this day go so wrong? And since when did the Clerk start running the Wizengamot?! "Auror, just wake the man up and give him Veritaserum already. Clerk, use the questions from Lord Black's... trial to start with. Amelia, I trust you can come up further questions as needed?" He asked tiredly.

"Of course." She said as she stared at Pettigrew. "Auror Shacklebolt. Take McNair to the holding cells, make sure he stays there, and only I can come see him." Fudge looked like he was going to argue, but one glance towards the press was enough for him to keep his mouth shut.

"Yes, ma'am." Kingsley said as he took Moody's burden. Moody went back to his seat by Severus, who cocked an eyebrow.

Moody looked at him and grunted that he would keep quiet about his involvement in all this to the Headmaster. Severus breathed a short sigh of relief. Tension that he hadn't even noticed was there was suddenly gone, and he felt about a hundred pounds lighter.

"Name?" Severus's attention was drawn back to the floor when he heard the Clerk ask that, looking down, he realized that Peter had already been given Veritaserum. Briefly, he panicked and thought the idiot rat would probably reveal the nature of his relationship with Harry, before he remembered that Peter hadn't known. They kept it as quiet as possibly while still making sure the right paperwork was filled out. He wasn't even sure if Remus Lupin knew.

All Peter and Remus knew was that the Marauders stopped being enemies with Severus back in fifth year, even if only in private.

"Peter Pettigrew." The crowd murmured. The Clerk shot them a look to shut them up.

"Former occupation?"

"Shopkeeper for the Potter Apothecary." Harry stiffened. His father gave this rat a job, and he turned around and betrayed them.

"Alright then. Are you a Death Eater?"

"Yes." The murmuring started again, and this time it was angry. The Clerk let off a bang with his wand, like a gunshot.

"Need I remind all of you that I am the only one permitted to speak while the prisoner is under the influence of Veritaserum." He said calmly before turning back to the prisoner. "Were you the Potter's Secret Keeper?" He asked just as Amelia slipped him a parchment with questions she wanted asked.

"Yes." People shifted angrily, but didn't dare speak. Now that the Clerk had given them a verbal warning, he could kick them out if he wanted. Whether they were part of the public or members of the Wizengamot. They could all hear Sirius growling though, seemed his dog animagus bled through to his human form.

"What was your primary job within You-Know-Who's forces?" The Clerk asked, switching from Harry's list of questions to Amelia's.

"i spied on the Order of the Phoenix, and I snuck in and out of important places to steal documents or map them out so it would be easier to break in and attack. I found people my Lord marked as enemies who were stupid enough to think they could hide." Peter suddenly sounded entirely too satisfied with himself. "I personally delivered the McKinnon's and Prewett brothers to my Lord."

Lord Abbot's eyes widened as he remembered something and in the next second he was lunging to keep the new Lord Black in his seat. The Clerk looked very annoyed when he looked to find out what the disturbance was this time. Severus was stunned. He couldn't help but think he'd failed miserably as a spy. He knew of none of this.

"What is it now?" Fudge called. He, too, was getting annoyed.

Lord Abbot finally got the man seated again, even if he had to stick him to the chair and put a silencing charm on him, "Does anybody here have a calming draught on them?" He asked. Severus stood up, and started digging in the inner pocket of his robes. Finally pulling out the asked for potion and holding it up. Lord Abbot looked at him and muttered, "Figures the Potion Master would have such a random potion on him." Before he summoned it and forced Sirius to drink it.

He stood up and sighed softly before turning to the rest of the room. "Sorry about that, Marlene McKinnon was his fiance, and several weeks pregnant when she was killed." He announced quietly. Everyone could see Sirius glaring at Pettigrew, he was still very angry despite the potion in his system.

People gasped, and the Clerk swallowed, glancing towards Harry to find him alternating between glaring at Pettigrew, and watching Sirius with worry in his eyes. He turned back to the prisoner and cleared his throat softly, marking down the crimes Pettigrew had already confessed to that they would have to charge him with. Normally, this would be the Chief Warlock's job, in this case the Minister's. But the Minister was just sitting there, staring at Pettigrew in horror, as if the man had killed his puppy and he was trying to understand why.

"Describe what happened that night. Halloween of '81." He said.

"My Lord summoned me, and let me come with him even though he told everyone else to stay behind." He sounded almost giddy with the thought. "I waited outside while he took care of my old friends. I heard James yelling, then nothing until the roof over the nursery caved in. When I went to investigate, I saw a pile of robes on the floor with my Lords wand sitting next to them. The brat was crying and Lily was dead. I picked up the wand of my Lord and went to kill the brat too when I heard somebody coming upstairs. I turned into my rat form and escaped just as Severus Snape ran in." Eyes turned towards Severus. Some were suspicious, others were grateful.

Severus's blood had run cold. If he had shown up just a few seconds later... his godson would have been gone. He didn't let any of this show on his face though. Only Moody saw him swallow thickly.

The Death Eaters and much of the public were suspicious of why he was there. The Death Eaters and much of the public were suspicious of why he was there. The Death Eaters because they thought he was their Second in Command, and yet he was there and he didn't kill the boy. The public was suspicious because they didn't trust him, partly due to the rumors of him being the Second in Command, partly because of his attitude.

The Clerk nodded. "You said you picked up You-Know-Who's wand. What did you do with it?"

"I hid it. After everyone left, I went back to Godric's Hallow. It should still be in the house somewhere." People gasped. Amelia turned to an Auror standing to the side and snapped her fingers at him, motioning for the door. Moody stood up to watch the room, letting everyone know he was watching to make sure nobody went anywhere.

Severus frowned. He knew the goblins had locked down Godric's Hallow, and then later on gone in and removed everything to a vault belonging to the Potter Family as soon as the Ministry announced their intentions to turn the house into a National Monument. The goblins hadn't been able to stop them beyond making sure nobody went in and turned it into an actual museum.

When the Ministry put up preservation charms to leave the place in the ruin it had become, the goblins tore them down and repaired the house under special made illusion charms that made it look like nothing happened, like it was still under the preservation charms.

But he couldn't remember Sharpaxe mentioning that he found a strange wand inside, and Severus would know, he was the one to identify James and Lily's wands, as well as to confirm that the small, goblin made knife found in the Nursery didn't belong to either James or Lily.

Sharpaxe was the only one to leave with the Auror. This was a Potter family property after all, no matter what the Ministry tried to say otherwise. Nobody dared say anything about it with Harry in the room. Even if they would have dearly liked to.

Griphook passed the Clerk a parchment with a request on it, which he grudgingly granted. On the condition that Amelia be there to ensure he didn't try to ask anything he shouldn't.

Inside the Silencing ward Griphook set up once he and Amelia stood in front of the prisoner, he would not have agreed to allow her to overhear this conversation if he didn't know her integrity and the fact that he really needed to know this, Griphook asked straight out, "How did you escape detection when our Warding team went to add to the Weasley families ward scheme?" To Amelia, he said that the teams made it a point of casting Animagus detection charms on a property before activating new Animagus wards.

"There is a spell the Marauder's created, it hides the Animagus's presence." He answered.

"What is this spell?" Griphook demanded. This spell put Gringotts security at risk, as well as the reputation of their Warding teams. He had to know what it was so they could figure out how to counter it. Once he knew, he nodded in satisfaction. He was, for now, satisfied that there was now only four humans who knew of the existence of this spell, Pettigrew, Amelia, Sirius, and Remus Lupin. Well, unless James taught it to Lily and Severus.

When they came out of the Silencing wards, the Clerk looked at Amelia, and she bit her lip. She had one more thing she needed to know. The Clerk looked down at the parchment she passed him and gulped. "During your time with the Weasley's, how often, if ever, did you change back to your human form?"

"Almost every night."

"And what did you do during those nights?" The whole room seemed to hold its breath.

"I'd go outside, or go to the girls room and watch her. Sometimes, I'd go into the Muggle world and find some girl to play with." Most of the room looked like they were going to be sick.

"Anything else, Amelia?" The Clerk asked tightly. She shook her head no. At least the worse he did with Ginny was watch, as creepy as that was. There was nothing they could do about the Muggle women though, somehow she doubted Pettigrew would have ever even bothered to learn their names, and they didn't know if he killed them or left them alive.

Any other questions she might want to ask him, wouldn't be the type she should really ask in public like this. They wouldn't have any affect on his sentencing though. Luckily, she had McNair, she would soon have him singing like a bird.

"Give him the antidote. We shall move on to the charges and sentencing." The Clerk announced.

* * *

At Flourish and Blotts

The shopkeeper, John Greene, stood nervously in front of his boss, having just presented his findings on his quest for answers.

A quest that started when Professor Severus Snape tore the books of Gilderoy Lockhart to shreds with just a few well-placed words.

The first thing he had looked at was the time-line of each book, only to find they didn't add up at all, just like Professor Snape said. Then he went through them again, checking various Magical Creatures references. Then he went through a third time, checking Defense books and double checking that he didn't miss anything earlier. Now, two weeks later, his results were unmistakable.

Gilderoy Lockhart was a giant fraud.

The only reason he could think of for the Fraud to be a professor was to generate book sales. Which was probably the worse crime of the two as far as he, a former Ravenclaw, was concerned, since he was interfering in and obstructing the education of an entire generation. And in one of the most important subjects no less!

What were the fifth and seventh years going to do? They weren't going to pass their Defense exams with the Fraud there.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when his boss set the research down and leaned back in his chair. He breathed a sigh of relief when his boss didn't chew him out for what he found out. "This isn't good. Issue a recall, I want all those books we sold back. Especially the ones sold to students, focus on them first. Get in touch with Professor McGonagall, ask her what books she would recommend for the students this year. Once we get the Lockhart books back, I want the new Defense books sent out to the students, we will have to wait though, and see who sends them back so we can just send the owl straight back... We're going to have to send people their money back too... those books are expensive. In the case of the students, send them their money minus the cost of the new Defense book. You'll have to get a list of current students from the Professor too, that way we know who gets a Defense book, and which one based on what year they are in." He sagged in his chair and sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "Keep the recall as quiet as possible for now. While you do that, I will take your findings to the DMLE. I should probably send a copy to the Hogwarts Board of Governors too, and maybe the copy-right office..." He said thoughtfully.

"I'll work on the recall notice right now." John said as he left.

Mr. Smith leaned forward and onto his desk. This was going to cost them a lot of money. Good thing they made enough that it wouldn't bankrupt them.

"Doxy!" He called. The shops House-elf popped in with a 'Yes, sir?' "Help John go through the sale records, look for anyone who bought Lockhart books. Pay special attention to the seven on the Hogwarts book list. And then go see what our inventory is like on real Defense books. Order more if you have to."

"Nasty man with the glittery teeth is getting his books recalled?!" Doxy squealed happily, clapping her hands together. "Yes, sir! Doxy help!" She popped out again, still squealing in happiness. He smiled. He knew she would like that, Lockhart was quite rude to her.

He had long ago given her permission to kick out anyone who disrespected her or the books. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to allow her to kick Lockhart out, considering he was the 'main attraction' that day. He groaned and started to pull out his accounts book. He was going to have to rearrange his finances for a bit.

He was about to lose a lot of money.

But he would not allow such abominations to exist in people's houses. Especially people who took everything they said as fact, that was just dangerous, and somebody was going to get killed.

* * *

"Hey, dad, have you seen Scabbers? I usually feed him around this time, but I can't find him." Ron said as he came into the kitchen. "Hey, is something wrong?" He asked when he noticed how tense his father was.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Ah, about Scabbers, uh, hold on a moment while I call your siblings in here. This is something the whole family needs to hear." Arthur said, forcing a smile on his face.

Ron slowly sat down at the kitchen table, wondering what was going on. Why on earth would Scabbers missing a meal warrant a family meeting? He watched as Arthur opened the back door to call everyone in from the outside, although if he remembered right, Percy said something about heading down to the village for a bit for something.

When Arthur was sure everyone who was outside was now on their way in, he called up the stairs to see where Molly was. She hadn't spoken a word since Dawlish revealed Scabbers to really be a wizard, in fact, he had a feeling she was currently going through all their pictures and spelling Scabbers out of them. "Molly, dear, can you come to the kitchen? I called a family meeting to discuss the rat." He called. He waited a moment until he heard her footsteps on the stairs.

When he went back to the kitchen, he saw that all the kids were there, even Bill. "What are you doing home? I thought you would be back in Egypt by now?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm just finishing something up for the goblins, my work in Egypt is actually on hold until I finish, and I don't know when I'll finish." Bill said with a shrug. They had actually already found one of the Horcruxes, it was in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault. They guessed that it took less time to find that one since it was already in the bank. Which meant it was under the same wards as the rune sets Bill set up to find the soul-pieces. The others were going to take longer to find due to whatever protective enchantments and other wards they might be under.

For example, if it was under Black or Potter family wards, they were probably never going to find it. The wards those families came up with had even the goblins drooling. Especially their magical-concealment wards that ensured whatever magic was done inside, never registered on any kind of instrument or rune-set outside.

"What's this about, dad?" Percy asked as he sat down. He had just been coming up the drive when he heard his dad calling them all into the kitchen. "Did you get a message from Gringotts or something?"

"No, no. Let's just wait for your, ah, here she is. All right, well... earlier today, Auror Dawlish came by the house. When you all were out playing Quidditch. He asked to see Scabbers, he said there was a possibility that Scabbers... wasn't Scabbers."

"Wasn't Scabbers, what's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked, he was really confused.

"Well, you kids know what an animagus is, right? A wizard that can turn into an animal. Well, it seems that Scabbers was really an Animagus. I recognized him, too. Peter Pettigrew. If the Auror was here, under suspicion that our rat wasn't as he seemed he was, then I suspect something big is going on in the Wizengamot right now."

"Dad, that rat couldn't have been Pettigrew, I mean, he's dead." Ron said, looking pale and a little shaky. "I mean, Scabbers can't be anything except a rat, I let him sleep in my bed, Percy had him for years! He didn't do anything to us, so why... It can't have been Pettigrew living here." He said, denying it with everything he had. He was starting to ramble now, and he was slowly starting to work himself up into a panic as his dad refused to say the whole thing was a joke. He was so desperate for it not to be true. The rest of his siblings were all sitting in shocked silence, but they were having an easier time of it since Scabbers wasn't theirs and didn't sleep in their beds, ever.

Percy was so still, that his parents thought he turned into a statue. They eyed him carefully even as Molly retrieved a Calming Draught and force fed it to Ron. When Percy finally moved, he turned to his father. "Obliviate me, please. I don't want to remember anything about that rat. I want to forget everything about him." He begged.

Molly and Arthur exchanged broken and concerned looks before they moved to hug their third son. They knew they couldn't obliviate him, the rat, back when he was still just a pet, played an integral part of Percy's childhood. The rat went almost everywhere with him, even if they did try, there were too many memories.

Arthur hugged him from behind, while Molly was in front. It quickly turned into a family group hug, as the other Weasley children all got up to join in, with Bill carefully guiding a now shell shocked but potioned Ron into the middle of the group.

"We'll be alright," Arthur murmured in Percy's ear. Louder, he said, "We will all be alright."


	13. Chapter 13

_Arthur hugged him from behind, while Molly was in front. It quickly turned into a family group hug, as the other Weasley children all got up to join in, with Bill carefully guiding a now shell shocked but potioned Ron into the middle of the group._

 _"We'll be alright," Arthur murmured in Percy's ear. Louder, he said, "We will all be alright."_

 **Sirius Black Innocent! Peter Pettigrew alive!**

 **Trouble at the Wizengamot.**

 **By Rita Skeeter**

 _In a surprise move during yesterday's Wizengamot session, Harry Potter appeared before the Wizengamot, appointing a new proxy, Lord Daniel Greengrass, to take care of his seats until further notice. At first, nobody knew why until he revealed that Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore has been lying to us. Harry Potter claims that he was raised by Muggles, with no knowledge of his wizarding heritage until he was delivered his Hogwarts letter by Rubeus Hagrid._

 _It is well known that the only teachers allowed to deliver Hogwarts letters and take new Muggle-born and raised students along with their Muggle families shopping for their school supplies are the Heads of House at Hogwarts. And this only after receiving extensive training from the Ministry's educational and Muggle relations departments. So, it should be no shock that Hagrid, as well as he meant, would not have known to make sure young Harry Potter knew to purchase books on our world._

 _However, it seems his Families Head-elf has finally solved that when she appeared in his Muggle relatives home and subsequently took him to Gringotts when he didn't know what she was talking about in regards to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter._

 _As for Professor Dumbledore telling the Wizengamot on multiple occasions that Heir Potter didn't want his parents will read, that he wanted the past to stay in the past, it seems that that too was a lie. Harry Potter claims that he never laid eyes on Professor Dumbledore until the night of the opening feast, September first of this past school year._

 _But, yesterday at the Wizengamot Potter account manager Sharpaxe once again made his yearly request for the Wizengamot to open and read the Potter Wills, and with the aid of Harry Potter was this time successful. (For the full contents of the Wills, see page 10). The contents of these wills was surprising._

 _The one to betray the Potters was not, as was believed until now, Sirius Black. Rather it was Peter Pettigrew. Sirius Black is also the godfather and Blood-Adopted father of Harry Potter, with James and Lily's blessing while they were still alive._

 _Ten years ago, Peter Pettigrew betrayed the Potters, and then Peter Pettigrew killed those twelve Muggles that Sirius Black was accused of killing. Sirius Black was then accused of treason and thrown in Azkaban without trial._

 _That's right, he never even recieved a trial. Despite his service to our community as a Hit-Wizard during the war with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his status as the Heir to a Most Ancient and Noble House._

 _Yesterday, the reading of the Wills threw the summer Wizengamot session into chaos (They never did manage to get around to the normal business that was on the docket for this session). After the Wills were read, Harry Potter, together with Prince of the Goblin Nation Griphook demanded that Sirius Black be given trial by Veritaserum, which Harry Potter can do according to the Laws regarding Lords or Heirs who stand trial (For more information see page 3) as he is the Heir to the Black family, of which we learned that Sirius Black is Lord of since his grandfather, Lord Arcturus Black passed almost two years ago._

 _Lord Sirius Black was then brought out and put on trial, where he was found innocent of all crimes he was accused of except the crime of being an unregistered animagus. It was quickly determined though, that he was already punished enough when he was thrown in Azkaban without trial and left to rot for now over a decade, so he was let off with a warning to register before reporting to the Gringotts infirmary for treatment, where Harry Potter apparently made arrangements for his treatment there instead of St. Mungoes citing privacy reasons._

 _After the impromptu trial of Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew was brought in after Harry Potter showed Lord Black a picture of him and his friends, asking if he could identify the pet rat in the picture. Lord Black gave a positive identification, stating that the pet rat sitting on Ronald Weasley's shoulder was indeed Peter Pettigrew. That's right, Peter Pettigrew has been masquerading as the Weasley families pet rat Scabbers._

 _When Peter Pettigrew was put on trial, he was found guilty of the following charges. Belonging to a terrorist organization (the Death Eaters), multiple counts of murder (both direct and indirect), trespassing, betraying the Potters, being an illegal animagus, and multiple counts of rape._

 _As of last night, Peter Pettigrew was sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss and was transferred to the ward of Azkaban where the criminals subjected to this punishment are kept until they die physically._

 _The question we should all be asking ourselves now is, where was Albus Dumbledore and the Minister when all this was happening?_

 _Where was Albus Dumbledore, and why has he been lying to us all these years about where he placed our Savior, why has he been lying to us all these years about what Harry Potter has been telling him, when Harry Potter has made it clear he never even knew Albus Dumbledore existed before he started Hogwarts? Just how many lies have we been told, and what can we trust?_

 _I will continue to watch and report as I learn details._

Sirius laid the paper down and grinned at Barchoke and Harry sitting next to his bed in the private room the goblin Healers put him in. According to them, he was going to be here for a while, so it made no sense for him to be in the public ward, which was only set up for short-term patients.

He grinned at Harry, who grinned back. It was a good article, and it had nothing that they didn't want in it. "Who knew the Prophet could be truthful for a change, and they didn't print anything about the Dursley's." Sirius said.

Harry and Barchoke smirked. "That might have something to do with the fact that between the two of you, you own the Prophet." Barchoke said with a vicious gleam to his eyes.

Sirius blinked. And blinked. Then he burst out laughing so hard a Healer came rushing in to see what was wrong because the monitoring spells they had over Sirius went off. When she saw it was just Sirius laughing, she turned to glare at Barchoke before she started berating him for getting her patient worked up. Sirius stopped laughing long enough to protest.

"Come on! You know, there's a Muggle saying, that laughter is the best medicine." He said, giving her his most charming smile. She shot him a glare before resetting the charms and then she warned Harry and Barchoke that she would kick them out if they insisted on working him up.

When they left, Harry turned to Sirius. "You know Muggle sayings? Most Purebloods I've met at Hogwarts don't even know how Muggles dress, let alone how they talk." He said, surprised.

Sirius chuckled. "Lily made sure James and I were well educated in all things Muggle. She would get us all a hotel room just so we could be out where we couldn't use magic freely just so we could learn how Muggles live, and to appreciate magic. I never realized how much I took having magic for granted until your mother forbade us from using magic at all unless we were attacked. I'm sure you've noticed, but Purebloods tend to treat magic like Muggle house-wives would treat their pots and pans, while the Muggle-borns tend to respect the power they now hold." He said.

Harry looked awed at the piece of information about his parents, but nodded his agreement to what Sirius was saying.

"Now that is out of the way," Barchoke suddenly said, he wanted to get to the reason he was here in the first place and not in his office. "I wanted to get started on going through your assets, Lord Black. Considering how much your views differed from your parents, I think there is much we will need to discuss regarding your business investments." He said. Then he pulled out a bottomless pouch like Harry's. "Before we do anything though, we need to make you Lord Black officially. I retrieved the Black ceremonial bowl from the vaults, and I have the other items here as well. I'm also planning on giving you an abilities test, to see that nothing about your core is tampered with like your Heirs core was."

Sirius frowned. "What was wrong with Harry's core? What do you mean by tampered with?!" He demanded. Harry winced when he realized that they hadn't told Sirius about any of this yet.

"Lord Black, please try to calm down, or we will be kicked out." Barchoke admonished. He waited until Sirius was calm again before he continued. "As for what was wrong with Heir Potter-Black's core..." He hesitated a moment before handing Sirius a Calming Draught from the bed-side cabinet. He only handed over the copy of Harry's ability test after he drank it. It was clear that if Sirius didn't have the Calming Draught in his system, he would have probably destroyed the room by now.

"What...? This is...? How could...? That foolish, stupid old man, I'm gonna kill him!" He finally snarled.

Harry's eyes widened. "No! You just got out, look, we already have a plan for Dumbledore, just... be patient." He said, grabbing Sirius by the arm. Sirius stopped ranting about how he was going to castrate Dumbledore and then feed him to his fellow old goats to blink at Harry.

Then he grinned, "Alright. I'll try." He said almost cheerfully. Barchoke winced. He knew the Healers said he would have mood swings for a while, an after-affect of being around the Dementors for so long, but... wow.

"Anyway, why don't we run the inheritance test first, and while that soaks, we can go ahead with the abilities." Barchoke said as he pried the parchment from Sirius's grip. He pulled out the bowl, silver knife, and blue potion. He handed the potion and knife to Sirius while he set the bowl down and pulled out the parchments needed.

Once the parchment was in the bowl and soaking, Sirius looked over at Harry to see him staring at the bowl with a strange look on his face. "What's wrong, kiddo?" He asked.

"The magic coming off that is not... nice feeling." Harry said, pointing to the bowl.

"You can feel that?" Sirius asked in shock. Harry nodded.

"Ah yes, Sharpaxe warned me about that." Barchoke said. "And before you ask, yes, we do respect the privacy of our clients. Sharpaxe and I just happen to... share you, as the Heir to our respective Houses." He turned back to Sirius. "Put some blood on this, if you will." He said as he held out the knife and another parchment.

As Sirius's abilities started listing themselves, Barchoke looked satisfied. "Nothing here but a mild suggestion charm and a couple of charms keyed towards keeping you and Severus Snape antagonistic towards each other." He grinned ferally. "Although those last charms seem to have become inactive years ago. Perhaps when the two of you were named godfather to the same child." He mused.

Sirius looked thoughtful as he reached out to take his parchment. "Severus and I made an Unbreakable Vow to try and get along, for Harry's sake. We figured we would be around each other a lot, and we would be sharing Harry... and I didn't want him growing up with us constantly fighting over simply being in the same room as the other."

Barchoke nodded. "That would do it."

"What's an Unbreakable Vow?" Harry asked.

"Like the name suggests, its unbreakable. Anyone foolish enough to do so, dies. Your own magic turns against you, and the results aren't pretty." Barchoke said.

Sirius nodded. "Which is why you are never making one. For one, you are underage, which means that if someone were to try and make one, its illegal and constitutes a minimum fifteen years in Azkaban. Which might as well be a death sentence considering many inmates don't survive that place for longer than two years. For another, I'm your..." He hesitated to say father because he and Harry just met, and he didn't want to try to go too fast and possibly scare the boy away. He didn't know how Petunia raised him after all, he just knew it couldn't have been with any kind of motherly affection. "Legal guardian and Head of your House. If someone wants to take a Vow with you, they are required to go through me, whether you were underage or not." He paused. "That, and I really don't want you messing around with Unbreakable Vows." He finished.

He didn't see Harry's face fall slightly when Sirius only referred to himself as his legal guardian. If he had, he would have explained. Barchoke saw though, and resolved to mention it to the boy later. Until then...

He raised an eyebrow. "You didn't go through your grandfather in making your Vow with Lord Prince-Snape though, did you?"

Sirius snorted lightly. "I thought I was disowned at the time. My mother certainly made it clear enough that I was... So no, I didn't go through my grandfather. I did, however, go through Charlus and Dorea, your grandparents," He said for Harry's benefit when he looked confused. "They unofficially adopted me, after all." He set the abilities parchment aside when he saw the inheritance one was ready.

 **Sirius Orion Black**

 **Abilities**

 **Animagus**

 **Occlumency**

 **Legilimancy**

 **Wandless**

 **Charms**

 **Suggestion Charm: Keyed to Albus Dumbledore**

 **Aversion Charm: Aversion to Severus Snape (inactive)**

 **Aggression Charm: Aggression to Severus Snape (inactive)**

 **Sirius Orion Black**

 **Father: Orion Arcturus Black**

 **Mother: Walburga Black nee Black**

 **Godfather: Abraxus Malfoy**

 **Godmother: Tabitha LeStrange**

 **Heir: Harold James Potter-Black**

 **Lord: Black (4)**

 **Le Fay (6)**

 **Ravenswood (4)**

"All this looks in order." Barchoke said with a nod. He plucked the three Lordship rings out of the bowl and handed them one by one to Sirius in order of when they were supposed to go on his finger. "Heir Potter-Black has already claimed his heir-ships, so that is in order as well. It is just as well that he did, considering Dumbledore plans on potioning him tomorrow at the opening feast. Now that you have officially claimed your vaults, we can discuss business." He said, pulling a very large folder out of his bag. "The Black accounts have been closed except for all incoming monies and the regular taxes since your grandfather passed two years ago, as per his order, so the vaults have grown... in fact the only vault that has been touched was Narcissa Malfoy's." He said, scanning a sheet before passing it off to Sirius to examine.

"Malfoy?" Harry asked. "As in Draco Malfoy's mother?" He was slightly horrified.

"The very same... what is Draco like?" Sirius asked. He decided to give Narcissa a chance, he wouldn't throw her out right away. She was always nice to him, at least she was until she married Malfoy.

Harry snorted. "He's a skinny version of my cousin, Dudley. Bullies everyone, has an arrogant streak a mile wide. He never gets in trouble because Severus has to keep his father happy in order to keep Professor Dumbledore happy, even if Severus literally walks in on him cursing somebody, Draco gets away with it." Sirius frowned. "Anytime something happens that he doesn't like, it's 'my father, this' and 'my father, that'. He really hates me for some reason, and I doubt that its just because I didn't shake his hand on the train last year." Harry said.

"You didn't shake his hand? Harry, that's the biggest insult you can give!" Sirius exclaimed.

Harry scowled. "I know that NOW. I didn't then."

Sirius grimaced, "Ok, that's understandable. I'll talk to Narcissa about him. Sounds like an entitled little snot. Since Narcissa is his mother, and she is part of the Black family, that makes him part of the Black family, and since the Blacks are ranked higher than the Malfoy's, since they aren't native to Britain... and they are only a Noble House, which is just a House that has a lot of money and maybe one or two seats on the Wizengamot, but anyway... what I say will trump Lord Malfoy when it comes to how his son is raised. I'm going to speak to Narcissa about teaching him how to behave like a Black. Because it sounds like he's just behaving like an entitled little brat. This will be her only chance to stay in the family, I'll speak with her too about her loyalties to Voldemort." He considered the parchment again. "Bellatrix LeStrange nee Black is hereby disowned from the family, and Andromeda Tonks nee Black is to be reinstated, along with her daughter and husband, Nymphadora and Theodore." He said.

Barchoke nodded. "I will send out the notices to the Tonks, and send for Lady Malfoy for you to speak with her. I'll send the notice about Lady LeStrange to the Ministry, since she can't get mail in Azkaban."

Sirius barked a laugh. "She's not sane enough to read it even if they did give it to her." He shuddered. "Some of the stuff she would start screaming about..." He shook his head. "The guards used to come in and start yelling at the both of us, about how we apparently made prison a family business... whoever decided to give us cells so close had a really sick sense of humor." He muttered, going back to the parchments.

Just then, the door opened and Augusta Longbottom was shown in. "Neville just came out of the ritual room, he should be waking up in a little bit. Do you want to stay here while I take him back to Ollivanders to test his wand, or do you want to go with us when he wakes up?" She asked Harry. He had come to the bank with her and Neville when she decided that it really would be best if they made sure that nothing was wrong with Neville's core, since they would be going back to Hogwarts tomorrow. She would send a note to McGonagall explaining her grandson's sudden lack of control over his magic. It wouldn't be as dramatic as Harry's loss of control was, but it could still be dangerous if the teacher's weren't prepared for it. Maybe she should have waited to get him his own wand until after they tested him... but she didn't know!

"Why don't you go on with them, pup? We'll just be talking business. I managed to talk Healer Garnock into letting me go see you off tomorrow, of course she's insisting that she come along with me, but..." He shrugged. "I figure since Severus is going to be watched by Dumbledore all day tomorrow, he won't be able to come see you off, so somebody ought to."

Harry jumped at him with a giant hug, before he left with Augusta, waving behind him as he went.

Barchoke chuckled when Harry was gone, "That's a special kid you got there. Sharpaxe and Prince Griphook were telling everyone yesterday about what he said to the Wizengamot. Apparently, somebody was trying to tell him that because we aren't human, we aren't intelligent. He threw that right back in their faces by pointing out that we wouldn't be in charge of the banks otherwise, that it takes a keen intellect to do our jobs."

Sirius smiled sadly. "He's a Potter, even if he wasn't raised one."

* * *

Severus sat back in his chair with a groan. Just as he predicted two weeks ago, Lucius Malfoy came barging in his office giving a 'generous donation' of seven new Nimbus 2001's to the Slytherin Quidditch team. Also just like predicted, Lucius then made it very clear how perfect his Draco would be for the team.

So, tomorrow he was going to have to pull the current Seeker, Terrence Higgs, aside after the opening feast and explain why he was no longer on the team, despite his three years of dedication and hard work.

He wished the goblins would just contact him already to tell him that the Horcruxes were taken care of, then he could stop pretending to be one of Them. The only way he was able to yell at Harry like he had in class the past year was by imagining Draco Malfoy in his place, and then vice versa when he had to pander to Draco's every wish, and stoke the boys ego appropriately in potions. Granted, he was good in the lab, but... still.

Terrence Higgs parents (and therefore Terrence himself) were in the alliance meeting Sharpaxe called a couple of weeks ago, so at least he would be able to explain the situation to the boy as it was. He had no choice if he was going to play his role and keep his godson safe. As soon as the Horcruxes were destroyed, Draco would be off the team and Terrence would have his spot back, provided of course that he earned it back. At least he would be able to drop some of the masks around Mr. Higgs and those other students that were at the meeting, if only in private.

He suspected that he would only truly be able to drop them around Harry, and in the past, Lily.

He would go visit the boy again, he had gotten a lot of freedom the past week while Albus was busy with the Conference, but unfortunately, the man was back this morning.

The thought depressed him enough that he finally gave into the temptation for a glass or two of fire-whiskey. He never drank more than that, not after living with his drunk of a father. His plans were ruined when the head of Albus too-many-names Dumbledore appeared in his fireplace. He cursed under his breath before he made sure his Occlumency shields were in place and 'politely' (as sarcastically as possible) asked the agitated old fool what he wanted now.

"Come through to my office." He demanded before he withdrew.

Severus sighed. The old man was in a bad mood. He must have finally seen the paper, either that, or he just got through a very large pile of Howlers.

He smirked when he remembered watching all those owls carrying red envelopes to the Headmaster's office. He himself had used the opportunity to send a Howler of his own, anonymously of course. And charmed to ensure nothing he did to vanish it or silence it would work, ensuring his message was heard even after the others were all vanished away.

He ought to do it more often. Who knew that yelling at the man about everything he ever wanted to say would have been so stress relieving and satisfying.

He bolstered his shields further as he stepped into the Floo and called his destination. An irritated Dumbledore tended to be a Legilimancy-happy Dumbledore. And that was never good.

He was right to bolster his shields, because the moment he stepped through he felt Dumbledore's mental intrusion. He stopped and glared, "Kindly withdraw before I force you out, Albus." He hissed. Giving the man a warning he really didn't feel like giving him. But he was afraid that once he started, he wouldn't be able to stop. That was the last thing they needed right now. "And kindly remember, that _I_ do not tolerate such attacks, especially when I do not know the cause." He growled lowly.

Dumbledore scowled, but stopped his mental attack. It would not do to alienate Severus right now. Not when he had to do damage control, and that included making sure Severus would still provide him with the potions he needed.

Instead he picked up the newspaper, "Did you see this?" He asked, his tone was strained, but still polite. Severus raised an eyebrow and nodded. Dumbledore nodded too, he couldn't say anything about them not reading all of the wills contents, because if anybody asked, he would play the 'my age must be catching up to me, my memory is not as it once was' card. He couldn't do that if he asked why Madam Bones left out parts of the will. "You haven't had contact with the boy, have you?" He asked instead.

Severus shook his head, "I haven't had the time, I was also unsure as to where he was staying until now." He said cautiously, wondering where the old goat was going with this.

Dumbledore sat down behind his desk and stared at it in thought while Fawkes squawked and hopped to perch on the back of a chair near Severus. Not for the first time, Severus wondered why the Phoenix stuck around.

Dumbledore suddenly looked at Severus. "If he approaches you, you will turn him away. You will not change your attitude towards him, is that clear? He shouldn't know anything, nothing was said in the paper... if somebody did, then it shouldn't be a problem. You may no longer end up sharing a cell with Sirius Black, but do not think this changes anything." Dumbledore warned him, the grandfatherly persona and twinkling eyes gone as he stared at Severus hard.

Severus felt the compulsions wash over him again and bit back a grimace before he nodded and forced himself to say, "I doubt the brat will willingly come anywhere near me, he despises me." Before he swept out. He didn't relax again until he reached his office, but that relief was short-lived when he opened the door.

"Severus! I was just passing by, and thought I might be able to help you with some potions? I'm sure there are things even you could learn, I myself have come across many different potions in my travels..." Gilderoy Lockhart said happily.

Severus was so shocked by the nerve of this man, that he just stood there and blinked for a second before he grinned evilly and closed the door behind himself with a snap, automatically sealing it with powerful locking and silencing wards that he learned from the Dark Lord himself.

Nobody ever said he was a nice guy. He blamed the Mark on his arm and old habits.

* * *

After Severus left his office, Dumbledore sat back and contemplated his next move. The potions should take care of keeping Harry in line, he would have to find a time to get out to Gringotts and get to Sirius, why couldn't Harry have just kept him where he was? He also needed to get the charges against the Dursley's dropped. He had found about it when Elphias floo-called him after he got back this morning. Elphias refused to believe any of what was said.

Harry had to go back there, he would make Sirius see that, those charms Sirius was under should still be active even after all these years, but he may want to renew them anyway.

Not only were there blood wards protecting his weapon, but the Dursley's also kept him downtrodden, which meant that the brat would see him as nothing more than a grandfatherly figure who regretted sending him back there, unfortunately, there was nothing he could do, he already tried.

It might be a bit difficult considering the brat now knew of James and Lily's wishes regarding Petunia, but nothing a few charms and potions couldn't fix.

For now, he was just glad Minerva was still away, visiting family in Greece.

* * *

When they finally got back to the Manor, Augusta sent Harry upstairs to finish getting his trunk how he wanted it for school. He had to go pack his school trunk with his books, uniform, and his potion supplies. Then he needed to make sure his regular trunk was cleaned up and everything inside put away. His library kind of had books everywhere from when he had free time and decided to read.

In the meantime, she was going to start Neville on re-gaining control of his magic. She wondered if she shouldn't have waited until the Yule holidays to take care of the block, that way she would have more time to teach him control without him potentially drawing the Headmasters attention.

Harry went upstairs and flopped on his bed, waking up Hedwig when he sighed loudly. She hooted softly and flew to join him on the bed. He smiled and reached up to pet her head softly.

"You're gonna fly to Hogwarts in the morning girl, unless you want to go on the train with me in your cage?" He asked. She shuddered and he got an image from her of her cage, with the padlock still on it with her inside, and he understood that she wasn't getting back in that cage for a very long time.

He sighed sadly and almost wished he could hex his uncle for doing that to his Familiar. He knew he couldn't though, and the goblins would be punishing Uncle Vernon much worse then Harry ever could. "Alright, I carved a protective rune for you, its in the library, which we need to clean up anyway." He stood up and went over to his trunk, gathering books he had laying around the room on the way there, opening it up and stepping down the ladder with Hedwig winging her way after him.

When they got down there, and Harry had hunted down the rune he carved, he tied it around Hedwig's neck, making sure it wasn't too tight that it choked her, but not too loose that it got in her way. "I also used some Blood Magic I found in my family's Grimiore so that only I can take it off. Anybody else who touches it will be shocked, stunned, and I will also know about it and come if I can. Them being stunned also gives you a chance to get done what you need to and get out of there. So, don't let anybody touch it just to take a look. If they want to actually remove it, then by all means." He grinned at her satisfied hoot.

Then he faced the mess that was his library. He sighed. He tried to put books back when he was done with them, honest he did.

While he put books away, he voiced a worry he'd been having for a while. "What do you think we should do about Hermione? She thinks authority figures can do no wrong, that they can't make mistakes. If we try to tell her any of this about Dumbledore, at best she won't believe us, which will cause a strain on our relationship that Dumbledore will probably notice. At worse, she'll take our worries to Dumbledore thinking that if we just give him a chance to explain, then everything will be alright. That is the last thing we want to happen." He said to Hedwig.

She tilted her head to the side and sent a vision of Severus. He sighed. "It's worth a try, but what if she still tries to side with Dumbledore over us? He's the Headmaster, which means that he's the higher authority than Severus. Besides, given Severus's reputation... and if I try to explain to her that Severus is my godfather, she'll grab the nearest paper that quotes my parents will and try to convince me that he's lying since Sirius is the only one mentioned as my godfather. She won't believe me until I show her the full contents of the wills, which I can't do without taking her to Gringotts, which will alert Dumbledore." He sighed.

Hedwig sent him another vision of Severus, although Harry happened to be in this vision talking to him. Harry looked at her and shook his head. "Alright, I'll talk to him and see what he thinks. I'll have to find Ron on the train tomorrow and let him know that we will be taking a 'wait-and-see' approach with Hermione..."

After spending time putting books back on their shelves, he pulled his school trunk out of his pouch and started putting what books he needed for class in it. He didn't want to risk pulling his real trunk out too often. He also put some of his Muggle fiction in it, he put the Hobbit in his school bag so he could read it on the train ride. He also made sure to pack some parchment, ink and quills, although Hedwig had to grab his summer school work and bring it over to him in her beak when he forgot about it.

After cleaning up the library, he took his trunk back out to the clothes compartment, where he packed his school uniforms, some day-robes, and a few Muggle clothes. He made sure he had a uniform in his bag to change into on the train, along with his money bag. He left his more formal stuff where it was though. He made sure to leave out what he would need for that night and the morning, but everything else he had in the closet or laying around went inside. "Anything else?" He asked Hedwig before closing it and opening up the lab.

He made sure he had his school potions supplies, and then he decided to brew some potions. He didn't want to start anything complicated though... so he started with a simple healing potion that they learned at the beginning of the year, and Severus helped him figure out in the past couple of weeks. His potion hadn't gone so well when they did it in class... He didn't have to worry about packing his or Hedwig's Nutrient Potions, for one, because he was almost out, he only had enough for the next day and then he would have to get more from Severus, and for another, because Mipsy had taken them and he only saw them when she made one appear by his plate at meal-times.

When he finally emerged with his school trunk fully packed minus his broom and with several new potions stored away in his store room and a couple more in his pouch for emergencies, he was surprised to see that it was dinner time. He was especially surprised to go down to the dining room to find Augusta primly sipping the wine she usually had with dinner and Neville sitting there looking like Seamus when one of his spells exploded on him. Which was pretty much how Seamus always looked, now that he thought about it.

"So... it went well? Or do you like imitating Seamus?" Harry asked, barely holding back his laughter. Neville shot him a dirty look.

Harry once again wondered at how different his friend was since he arrived here. The Neville Longbottom he shared a dorm with for a year wouldn't have had the courage to give anyone a dirty look.

Harry just grinned at him but didn't say anything. He looked at the end of the table, where some of the cookies, cake, and bread he had baked a few days after coming here still sat under preservation charms provided by Mipsy. All the pie and treacle tart were long gone, which was fine, since he hadn't made nearly as much of those as he did everything else.

"If I leave some here with you, would you mind if we take the rest of that with us? We can share it on the train, or in the dorm later on." He asked Augusta.

She nodded. "If you want to, go ahead, you baked them. I'll never be able to eat all that by myself. Although I expect you two to eat real food on the train tomorrow, not just cookies and cake." She warned.

"Yes!" Neville cheered, he loved Harry's baking. "Now to make sure Ron doesn't eat all of it..." He said, looking at Harry.

Harry looked thoughtful. "I'll think of something... maybe I should make more tonight for everyone, and just give those to Ron..." He said.

Neville shrugged. "Works for me."


	14. Chapter 14

**_Gobbledygook_**

 _"Yes!" Neville cheered, he loved Harry's baking. "Now to make sure Ron doesn't eat all of it..." He said, looking at Harry._

 _Harry looked thoughtful. "I'll think of something... maybe I should make more tonight for everyone, and just give those to Ron..." He said._

 _Neville shrugged. "Works for me."_

The next morning, Mipsy appeared when Harry was gathering the baked goods in the dining room, intending to take them to his room to pack them away in his school bag, gave him a dirty look, and took them from him so she could go do it herself.

She hadn't been too thrilled when he packed all his stuff and didn't even ask her to help. In her mind, she was trying to make up for years of not being there. She had learned about enough of his life at the Dursley's, mostly from when she snuck a look at his medical file in Sharpaxe's office, and also from the strong nutrient potions both Harry and Hedwig were still on. To say she was angry with herself for not being there, magics hiding him or not, to protect him, was an understatement.

Harry blinked, but shrugged it off before he sat down to eat. He would see Hedwig off before they flooed to the station, and he only had to hope that Dobby would stay away. Considering how the little elf had gotten him in so much trouble with his relatives, all for the sake of keeping him away from school, he wouldn't put it past him to try something to keep him from the train... now that he thought about it, maybe he should take Mipsy with him to make sure Dobby stayed away.

He would have to find some time either on the train ride or during the next few days when Hermione wasn't around so he could speak with Ron about what they were going to tell her. He knew that if she caught even a hint that they were hiding something from her, she wouldn't rest until she found out what it was. The problem was, what would be safe? He had sent several letters to Ron since coming to the Longbottom's, he asked Mipsy if she could take them, after apologizing endlessly to Hedwig, since he didn't know if Dumbledore was watching the Weasley's for Hedwig, and the Healer had told him that Hedwig wasn't to take any mail for a while.

Her restriction still had a week to go. She could still fly and hunt and all that, she wouldn't be flying to Hogwarts herself instead of going on the train with him otherwise, but she wasn't to take any mail. Wizarding Owls used their magic to find the people they were sent to, but it took much less magic to find a place, especially one like Hogwarts.

"Good morning, Harry, are you ready to go back to school?" Augusta came in, asking.

Harry nodded. "Yes, ma'am. And Severus has already told me to expect a detention as soon as he can so we can talk. And then we need to plan when we are going to have our private lessons." Harry said, nodding to a half asleep Neville when he came in. "Hedwig is flying there, and Sirius is meeting us at the station." He finished.

She nodded. "Are you boys both packed?" She asked, looking at the time.

"Yes ma'am/Gran."

She nodded in satisfaction again. "Good. We'll leave in an hour. That should give you boys more than enough time to find a compartment, and Harry can spend time with Sirius, depending on when he gets there." She said.

"Oh, and I baked some more last night, hopefully now we'll have enough for Ron." He joked, Neville laughed before he nodded.

Just then, Mipsy and Moppy popped in. "Mipsy has you's lunch, Master Harry, I's be putting it in you's school bag, and you's Nutrient Potions be there. Miss Hedwig will be's getting her potions, I's make sure of it." Mipsy reported.

"Thank you, Mipsy. You can go back to your normal duties at the Manor while I'm at school." Harry said, smiling at the little elf. She nodded and popped out after telling him to be safe at school, and to stay away from the 'twinkling eyed goat-man.' Harry and Neville were too busy laughing at her name for Dumbledore to notice her pop out. Even Augusta was laughing.

"You's lunch is in your school-bag, Master Neville. I's and Mipsy be packing extra food for this Ron you's be talking about." Moppy said.

Both boys blinked at the elf. "Thank you Moppy." Neville said. Moppy, too, told Neville to be safe at school before he popped out.

"Is Ron going to need to share?" Neville asked Harry, concerned.

"Well, Mrs. Weasley usually provides her boys with sandwiches, but she also gave Ron corned beef last year, and he hates corned beef..." Harry said slowly. "He said corned beef was Charlie's favorite."

"Sounds like she has a hard time keeping up with all of her children." Augusta observed.

Harry shrugged. "She does her best. And her kids help out where they can."

"We'll see what he has and ask if he wants to share." Neville decided.

Augusta gave Neville a proud smile before she looked at the time again. "Go make sure you haven't forgotten anything. We leave in a half-hour." She told the boys as she got up. They nodded and scampered off. she smiled again. "That boy is a very good influence on my Neville." She said softly. "Wouldn't you agree, Moppy?" She asked.

"Yes, ma'am. I's not be seeing Master Neville this happy in years." Moppy said as he collected the dirty dishes.

Augusta smiled at that before she suddenly said, "I want you to come with us. I told you about the House-elf that appeared and tried to keep Harry from going to school this year, correct?" She asked. Moppy nodded. "Make sure that elf doesn't come back and sabotage the platform or train." She instructed.

"Yes ma'am. Moppy keep an eye out." The elf said, snapping his fingers to send the stacked dishes to the kitchen. "I's be making sure the Floo is safe for you's trip." He said before he popped out. She followed him more slowly, arriving just as the boys did. Neville was pulling his trunk behind him while Harry was slipping the pouch the goblins gave him into his school bag.

Moppy stepped forward. "The Floo is safe, Ma'am. I's be taking Master Neville's trunk, does Sir Harry have his?" The elf was confused by the lack of a trunk with Harry.

Harry smiled. "I got it, Moppy. It's shrunk down. But thank you." He said. He had done some more practicing last night with controlling his magic before he felt comfortable shrinking down his trunk. At least with his custom made one the shrinking charms were built in, and he didn't have to worry about ruining it. Yet another reason, he supposed, for keeping his school trunk around.

The elf nodded and took Neville's trunk, disappearing with a pop.

"Neville, if you would, I'll be right behind you with Harry. Don't go anywhere, just stay by the Floo." She warned. Neville nodded his understanding before he grabbed the Floo powder and disappeared with a cry of 'Platform Nine and Three-Quarters'.

"Alright, lets go." Augusta said as she grabbed Harry with a firm grip, and stepped into the Floo. It was good that she had him in a firm grip, otherwise he would have face-planted, again, as soon as they arrived. He glared at Neville when the other boy snickered at him.

Augusta looked around, "There's Sirius, he can help find a compartment." She said, herding the boys towards where she saw Sirius (and Healer Garnock). When Sirius saw them, his face lit up. Harry was glad to see that he already looked better, and he even had a gold bracelet, when Harry looked closely, he could see runes covering it. Looking at Healer Garnock, he saw that she had a similar one. He figured it must have been a Healer thing.

"Hey, Pup. How are you?" Sirius asked, pulling Harry into a side hug. Harry noticed that all the wizarding families were shooting either curious or very suspicious looks at Sirius while the Muggleborns could care less. But then again, they didn't know who he was or what the wizarding world thought he did for the past several years.

Harry smiled. "I'm ok. A little nervous about going back to school, I mean, Dumbledore is going to be drugging my food later tonight, so..." He shrugged.

Sirius frowned. Then he grabbed Harry's hand and held up the Black Heir ring. "This will protect you from those potions. Of course... I would prefer it if you didn't take them at all, but..." He growled in frustration at being unable to protect his pup.

"We can't reveal our hand too early." Harry finished his sentence for him with a quirk of his lips and a sigh.

Sirius sighed too, "Yeah, kiddo." He hated that his pup was caught up in the middle of whatever schemes Dumbledore was up to. At least he would have Severus at the school. He turned to Augusta. "Thank you, for taking care of Harry the past couple of weeks." He said as he held onto Harry.

She smiled. "It wasn't a problem. Harry and Neville were supposed to grow up together anyway. I just wish we could have found him sooner." She said with an angry glint to her eye. Then she shook her head. "We should find these boys a compartment." She said, looking at the train.

Sirius nodded, and looked around. "Where are your trunks?" He asked. Harry patted his bag, and Moppy popped in with Neville's.

"Sorry Moppy beings taking so long." The elf apologized. "Moppy thought he saw the bad elf blocking the barrier. Moppy be's going to check the train for damage before it leaves." The little elf explained. Augusta frowned but nodded, while shooting a look at Sirius, silently promising to explain later.

"It's alright, Moppy. Make sure you stay with the boys, though, in case he does come back." She instructed. The little elf nodded seriously at her before levitating the trunk.

"Has Master Neville found a seat, yet?" He asked Neville, silently asking where he was supposed to put the trunk. Neville shook his head no, not yet.

"Lord Black?" Neville asked shyly as they moved towards the train, Moppy bringing the trunk along behind.

"Yes? And call me Sirius." Sirius said.

"You were really a Hit-Wizard?" Neville asked, slightly awed. They were supposed to be the best, after all.

Sirius chuckled. "Yup. Your dad got the offer too, along with James, but Frank turned it down."

"Why?" Neville and Harry asked.

Sirius grinned. "Because he just had you. And he wanted to be around for Alice more. James tried the same, but Lily wouldn't hear of it. She wouldn't let him give up his dream. The two of you were quiet, but they didn't want to leave their wives at home to do all the work themselves. I was given the offer not long after Marlene was killed, so I didn't exactly have anything to keep me home, I probably would have stayed at the office permanently if it weren't for your mothers, dragging me home with one of them all the time. They seemed to think that I would make a good babysitter." He huffed a laugh, and was surprised when Harry squeezed him a little tighter from where he was still being held in a sideways hug.

"Harry!" They all turned around when they heard Hermione call.

Harry grinned, it was good to see his bushy haired friend again. "Hey, Hermione!" He called, waving her over.

Hermione pulled Harry into a hug, expertly ignoring how tense he became and pulled away, already scolding him on not writing her that summer.

Harry looked to Neville for help, while Augusta and Sirius stared at the girl like she grew two heads. When Neville gave him a startled look that told him he was on his own, Harry sighed and began the tried and true method of derailing Hermione Granger when she got going.

"'Mione, I couldn't write, a lot was going on, and I'll explain later, ok? Right now, I want to introduce you to my godfather." Harry said in a placating tone with just the right amounts of remorse and excitement. He made sure to widen his eyes just a little bit, plastering a hopeful, innocent expression on his face.

Sirius looked at him and blinked. His jaw dropped a little bit. Harry looked just like James when he was trying to convince Dorea that he didn't do it. Of course... she never believed him. But, details.

Hermione, though, melted. "Fine. What's this about a godfather?" She asked, peering up at Sirius, who had put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Oh! Hi Neville, how was your summer?" She asked, as if just noticing Neville was there (she did.)

Neville blinked. "My summer was good. This is my Gran, Gran, this is Hermione Granger. She's in our year, in Gryffindor, and Muggleborn." Neville said, quickly introducing the two of them before Hermione started off again.

"Ah, yes, Neville and Harry have told me about you. They have also suggested that perhaps it would be best if you had somebody to act as your Magical Guardian." Augusta said carefully.

Hermione cocked her head. "Magical Guardian?" She asked.

Augusta nodded. The topic had come up the week before during one of Harry's Pureblood lessons, and he had read something in one of his books about Magical Guardians. Harry thought it would probably be a good idea if Hermione had one, since part of the Magical Guardians job was to make sure the Muggleborn knew Pureblood customs. Which included stuff that Muggleborns usually took offense to in the wizarding world, and then didn't bother going any further into learning about why that tradition was in place. Another was making sure the child in question had everything they needed for school, and they also acted as a go-between with the school and the parents. If something happened to the child at school, the Guardian was called and they were in charge of making decisions in the parents place, but they were also to keep the parents informed.

"Yes. I will let the boys explain it to you, later and I'll speak with your parents about it as well. Right now, perhaps if we could find you three a compartment. But first, this is Sirius Black, Harry's godfather." Augusta said, gesturing towards Sirius.

Hermione nodded, but everybody could tell she didn't want to wait until Neville and Harry told her. She also really wanted to know why Harry was with Neville. She would have thought he'd be with Ron. She'd figure it out later. "If he's your godfather, then where's he been?" She asked, glaring accusingly at Sirius. Where was he all those years, when Harry was with the Dursleys? Why didn't he take Harry?

Sirius raised his hands in surrender and chuckled. That just made Hermione's glare deepen. "I like her." He said to Harry. He ignored Harry's spluttering and addressed Hermione. "Until two days ago, I was in Azkaban Prison." He held his hand up again at her alarmed and horrified look. "Long story short, I wasn't supposed to be in there. I was innocent, and my long-overdue trial was just a couple of days ago."

Hermione blinked and looked at Harry, but he just promised to tell her later. She was getting very frustrated with them telling her that Harry or Neville would just explain later. She didn't want to know later, she wanted to know NOW! She didn't like not knowing things.

For his part, Harry still wasn't sure what he was going to tell her, what was safe. Obviously, whatever he did tell her, he couldn't make it sound like she was accusing Dumbledore...

Once they finally found a compartment, they loaded Neville's things and stood outside to wait while Hermione ran to find her parents (who still had her things since she kind of ran off once she spotted Harry). The few minutes she was gone was spent chatting with Sirius, and Sirius made sure that Harry knew that if ANYTHING happened, then Harry was to go straight to Severus, and then send Hedwig straight to him. And he would owl Minerva as soon as he got back to Gringotts to let her know that if he found out something happened to Harry and he was not informed, then he was fully prepared and willing to pull Harry out of Hogwarts and homeschool him.

Harry pulled a face at that, but at the same time, it felt really nice to know that somebody cared, so he didn't argue. Sirius also informed him that he would be telling Minerva that Harry was not to be left alone with Dumbledore under any circumstances. Heir rings protection or not.

THAT was something Harry could agree with 100%. HE didn't want to be alone with that man at all either.

When Hermione came back, she introduced her parents, and Augusta explained her offer to be Hermione's Magical Guardian, it didn't take long before they agreed to get some coffee with her after the train left so she could explain just what that meant in more detail. By this point, both Harry and Hermione were looking around for the Weasley's, it was getting kind of late for them not to be here yet.

It was then that Hermione noticed Healer Garnock hanging out in the background, keeping an eye on her patient. "Who's she?" Hermione asked Harry.

Sirius looked around and immediately apologized to Garnock since he completely forgot she was even there in his excitement to see possibly get to know Harry a bit more. "This is Goblin Healer Garnock. She's the Healer assigned to me until she decides I'm fit enough to be released." Sirius introduced her.

She fixed him with a stern look. "And don't you forget that. You're lucky I agreed to let you come out here, today." She scolded lightly.

"Yes, ma'am." Sirius said, shrinking back slightly.

Harry snickered, then turned to her, "Thanks for looking after him." He said quietly. She looked at him for a moment before nodding, "Just doing my job." She said just as quietly. Sirius pretended he didn't hear their exchange.

"What do you need a Healer for? You look healthy." Hermione mother, Emma, asked Sirius.

He laughed nervously and ran a hand through his hair, "Well, let's just say the wizarding prison system is a little... inhumane." He really did not want to bring up the Dementor's with a couple of Muggles.

"Prison?" Dan Granger asked suspiciously.

Sirius grimaced, but nodded. "It's a long story. I was innocent, though. I never committed the crimes I was accused of, so..." He shrugged. Behind him, Garnock started complaining in Gobbledygook, AGAIN, about stupid humans not even following their own laws concerning Heirs to Most Ancient and Noble Houses.

Augusta glanced at the clock, "Alright you three, it's five till, why don't you go sit down." All three children nodded, although Harry and Hermione were really wondering where the Weasley's were.

* * *

Dumbledore sat in his office and felt relieved when eleven o'clock hit, the Potter boy should be on the train, and heading towards him, where he would be able to determine how much damage had already been done to his weapon and what he would now have to fix.

Thank goodness Severus had already brewed those potions, although he really had to wonder why Gilderoy was so jumpy this morning at breakfast around Severus. Sure, Severus didn't like the man, but he wouldn't revert to old habits, would he?

* * *

Augusta sat down at a booth in the only coffee shop in Diagon Alley, while Dan and Emma Granger sat across from her. They were really curious about this whole 'Magical Guardian' thing.

They ordered coffee, Augusta ordered tea, and Augusta took the time while they waited for their order to gather her thoughts. She started once their drinks had arrived, and she offered to pay since the Granger's didn't have any wizarding coin on them.

"Now then, what you must first realize, is that a Magical Guardian in no way takes the place of the parents. My role in this would be to act on your behalf in the case of an emergency, and in keeping you informed of what is happening in the magical world. I would be in charge of making sure your daughter knows our laws and traditions, and making any medical decisions that are needed, since it would be difficult for them to contact you in any kind of timely manner, since you are Muggles. Naturally, I would be keeping you informed of everything happening and find a way to get you to your daughter if at all possible." Augusta started.

Some of the tension disappeared from the Granger's faces. They hadn't actually thought this woman was going to take their Hermione away, but the fear was always there that their baby girl was going to get so caught up in this magical world, that they were going to lose her. But if this woman was willing to help them out, maybe they could learn more about this world, and then they could understand their daughter when she came home for break a little bit better.

Dan spoke up first. "Would you also be willing to teach us some of your laws and traditions? It would be nice to be able to understand some more of this world our girl belongs in now."

Augusta smiled at him. "Of course. Being a Magical Guardian also means I would take on some of the financial burden of Hermione's education, and providing a go-between if you wanted to open a vault for her at Gringotts. The goblins can get... nasty, if they have been offended, and they don't take ignorance as an excuse. In their eyes, ignorance is laziness, and its your own fault for not bothering to learn more about them so the offense did not occur."

Dan and Emma frowned. "We have no problems financially sending her to Hogwarts, we run our own Dentistry practice."

"I didn't mean you could not afford her education. But, that is one of the duties of a Magical Guardian, whether the parents of the Muggleborn in question actually need the financial help or not. No, what is typical, is for the Guardian to pay tuition fees and maybe provide pocket money for the year, while the parents would usually provide for everything else. If the parents can't provide for everything else, then that is where the Guardian would take on the complete financial burden, but that doesn't usually happen. And, of course, if you were to open a vault for her, then I would be in charge of it, but that comes with the idea that I would give her more and more control over it to teach her financial responsibility, and as she shows that she is, in fact, going to be responsible with it. I have no doubt that she is a very responsible girl, just from listening to everything Harry and Neville have told me about her when they were telling me about their first year." Augusta explained.

Emma nodded slowly. It made sense, and if they opened a vault, then they could put money in it at anytime, and then it would just grow, which meant Hermione would have something when she needed it. "We would have opened a vault already, but we are not sure how to do that." She confessed quietly.

Augusta nodded. "I can help you with that. If you agree to let me be her Guardian, we would need to head over to Gringotts anyway, to fill out the paperwork. They keep track of Guardianship issues, especially where money might be concerned. We might even be able to talk them into giving you an inheritance test, see if you might not have squibs in your line somewhere. There are many old family lines that died out decades out, that still have vaults full of money, because there is nobody around to claim them. The goblins keep these vaults maintained for a maximum of two hundred years, just in case an heir to those families does pop up."

Of course, not all Muggleborns were descended from Squibs. At least, not that they knew of. Some of them might be descended from Squibs who originated from another country, the British ministry wouldn't have records of them. The goblins would, of course, but they also respected their clients privacy. But some were actually the very first in their family lines to have magic. Lily Evans, for example, was one that was the first in her family. They had done an inheritance test on her, just to see if she might have one of the unclaimed vaults in Gringotts. She didn't, sadly. But, the fact that she didn't only hammered her accomplishments home even further, and cemented the fact that Pureblood's were not always superior.

Emma looked at her husband. "I don't see why not. If it would mean Hermione gets a little more help, and we are able to understand better..." She trailed off. Dan nodded. He liked the idea of their daughter having an older witch (and wasn't that still strange to think about, even a year later) looking out for her. And, a witch who was clearly quite well off and high in society at that.

"Alright, let's go to Gringotts and fill out whatever paperwork we need to. We can open up that vault while we are there, too. It might be best if you did most of the talking though, Lady Longbottom. I don't want to accidentally offend the goblins." Dan said with a shake of his head and a rueful grin.

Augusta smiled at him as she finished her tea and stood up.

Asking for Silvertooth, the Longbottom family account manager when they arrived with a small grin on her face.

* * *

Severus sat in his favorite chair in his living quarters at Hogwarts, sipping tea while he opened the Evening Prophet that just arrived. He was looking forward to enjoying his last few Dunderhead free hours. He calmly sipped his tea as he started to read, only to spit it out again once he read the headlines.

 _Flying Ford Anglia Mystifies Muggles!_

Scanning the article, he about had a heart attack when he heard that seven Muggles had seen it and called the police to report the strange phenomenon, luckily the Muggleborn family members in the Muggle police departments were able to redirect both the callers and their colleagues long enough for them to contact their Magical counterparts about the emergency and get some Obliviator's out.

He froze the picture and and cast a magnification charm. He knew it was very illogical, Harry was with the Longbottom's, Augusta would have made sure he got on the train. And, if for some strange reason he was unable to get on the train, she would have Side-along Apparated him straight to the school gates and walked him up to Minerva's office herself just to make sure he got there.

But... with everything Harry and his two friends got up to in school last year... he couldn't help the nagging feeling that Harry would be involved in this somehow. Whether he himself was in the car, or if he was the indirect cause of that person thinking they had to do this. How he hoped it wasn't Harry...

Dear Merlin. Only two weeks of being back in the boys life and he was already going back to what Lily called his 'Mama Bear Mode'. He couldn't help it if he was protective of what he considered his, and Harry was HIS godson!

He breathed a sigh of relief when his magnification charm only revealed one person in the car, and that person looked like one Ronald Weasley. He cursed and Flooed Minerva's office, where he knew she could usually be found doing some last minute paperwork and double checking the list of students and going over their schedules to make sure they could actually be in the classes they signed up for. "Minerva McGonagall! One of your Dunderheads has done it this time, a moment please!" He called into the flames after tossing a handful of powder in. She would know it was him, he was the only one to call students Dunderheads.

When she came in, she looked very annoyed and concerned all at the same time, although her concern was largely covered up with her annoyance. For one thing, what could one of her Lions have possibly done this time? They weren't even here yet! For another, "Severus Snape, what is the meaning of this? You know how much paper work I still have to do before the students get here in a few hours." She said sternly. In response, he shoved the paper at her with a curt 'read' before he went to get some fire-whiskey.

He generally had a rule against drinking that went into affect earlier this morning and ended the moment the last of the end of year exams were graded and handed off to Minerva to be put in the students records in June. He figured he could an exception just this once... that red-headed menace almost exposed their world to the Muggles! There was a reason why Wizarding kind went into hiding in the first place!

When he turned around, holding two glasses of fire-whiskey, he found Minerva sheet white, her lips were pressed together thinner than he'd ever seen them. For a moment, he thought he gave her a heart attack and she'd turned into the latest Gryffindor ghost, but then she started trying to shake through her fear and anger. Fear at what could have happened if the police that knew about them hadn't acted fast enough, and anger that one of her Lions had done something so irresponsible.

Finally, she lowered the paper and grabbed one of the glasses from Severus and downed it in one gulp while Severus sipped at his. "If you'll excuse me, this is the first time I've ever had to summon a parent to the school... before the students have even arrived in Hogsmeade." She said somewhat 'calmly'. "I trust that I can count on you to patrol the grounds for Mr. Weasley's eventual landing?" She asked as she headed towards the Floo to go back to her office. He nodded with anticipation.

Harry's best friend or not, the youngest Weasley boy was extremely lucky he wasn't a Snake, or he would already be expelled the moment he landed.

As it was, Severus was going to enjoy yelling at and scaring the Dunderhead into hopefully using his brain next time he got an idiotic idea into the famously thick Weasley skull. So much for enjoying the last Dunderhead free hours.

He was so disappointed, he almost pouted.

Almost.

He was Severus Snape, Lord of the House of Prince and Head of Slytherin House, former Death Eater and right-hand to the Dark Lord Voldemort. He was also the godfather to the boy that said Dark Lord wanted dead more than anyone else, but that wasn't the point. He did not pout. He struck terror in the hearts of Dunderheaded students.

Well, except for the students that he came to kind of like, or had abusive relatives. Like Neville Longbottom. He should probably stop picking on that boy so much... Although that was going to be difficult considering Dumbledore expected him to treat Neville the same as he was supposed to treat Harry. Since Neville was supposed to be the other potential child of prophecy.

He really hated that prophecy.

He gleefully swept out of his quarters, already intent on his mission. He didn't know when the Dunderhead would arrive, so it would probably be best to keep an eye on the school grounds from the Astronomy Tower. The prospect of yelling at a Dunderhead was enough to lift his spirits and almost sent him skipping.

Almost.

Even if the castle was empty, he still had a reputation to maintain.

* * *

Arthur and Molly had finally come home, several hours later, exhausted and worried. They had cast every single detection and locating charm they could to find their missing car. It would be very, very bad if it was stolen. Especially since Arthur had enchanted it so heavily. This could lose him his job. It was his job to catch people who enchanted Muggle artifacts like this, not to go around enchanting them himself.

He was safe from being arrested because of that handy little loophole he wrote into the laws when he wrote it, but still...

They glanced at the clock on the mantle out of habit, glad to see that all five hands belonging to their younger children were all on traveling, although Ron's was halfway between Traveling and Lost... could something be wrong with it? It had never done that before, unless one of their children was traveling, just not how they were supposed to be...?

It was concerning, but for now all they could do was wait and see if the hand went completely to Lost, or to something worse like Mortal Peril. Then they would have real cause for concern.

They had practically just sat down at their kitchen table to discuss how they could find the car without getting in big trouble with the DMLE, if they couldn't find it within the next few days, they would have no choice but to report it in, they couldn't just say nothing, when they Floo chimed.

"Professor McGonagall, this is a surprise, did something happen on the train? Are the boys and Ginny alright?" Molly asked when she saw Minerva's head in the fire.

"No, nothing happened on the train, can I come through? This is about Ronald." Minerva said, she sounded a little strained. Molly said yes and stepped back. When she was through, Minerva took a deep breath and held out Severus' copy of the _Evening Prophet_. The magnification charm was still in place. "I will admit, this is the first time I've ever had to visit parents because of a student like this when the students haven't even arrived in Hogsmeade yet." She said grimly as she watched the Weasley parents grow pale. Molly's eyes darted towards her precious clock on the mantel, and understanding appeared.

When Minerva looked at the clock too, she noticed Ron's clock hand half-way between Lost and Traveling.

Molly's understanding was followed by that famous Weasley temper, though how she had it when she was born a Prewitt was a mystery.

"WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON THAT BOY!" Molly yelled. She was furious. "WHAT WAS HE THINKING? HE COULD CRASH, WHO KNOWS WHAT COULD HAPPEN ON THE WAY TO SCOTLAND, HE ALMOST EXPOSED OUR WORLD!" She froze and looked at Arthur. "Arthur, you need to go speak with Amelia, they will find out it was you who enchanted the car, maybe if we are honest about it from the beginning, oh, but this could cost you your job, I know we have some of the old Weasley fortune back, this could also damage our chances of us trying to fix your fathers reputation." She whispered to him in shock and fear. Fear of what this could do to their family.

Arthur frowned in thought and nodded, "Don't worry about my job, the most they can do is give us a fine. You head to Hogwarts with Minerva, deal with Ron when he arrives. I'll head to the Ministry, deal with things there, I will meet you at the school when I can." He sounded calm, but both women could see the anger and disappointment in his eyes, and they both knew he needed time before he faced Ron, or he may do or say something he would regret afterwards.

"Come on, we should go see if he's landed yet, and we need to discuss his punishment. This is going to go far beyond a simple detention, this is far too serious." Minerva said grimly. She really did not want to come over here in the first place, but she had to notify the parents of what their son just did. Especially when it was such a serious crime.

Molly gasped. "What if they arrest him and bind his magic? They can't send a minor to Azkaban, but they can take his magic." She whispered fearfully.

"I'll talk to Amelia. I should be able to talk her into leaving Ron to us and the Hogwarts teachers. Especially if I tell her that Severus Snape is the one keeping watch for his arrival to Hogwarts." Arthur said as he moved towards the Floo. He smiled reassuringly at his wife, "Don't worry, everything will be fine." He said, trying to convince her as much as he was trying to convince himself.


	15. Chapter 15

This chapter onward might have details or conversations taken straight from the book and twisted to fit my story. The rest will be all me though. There are many details in the book that I feel would take away from the story line if they weren't there.

 ** _Gobbledygook_**

 _Molly gasped. "What if they arrest him and bind his magic? They can't send a minor to Azkaban, but they can take his magic." She whispered fearfully._

 _"I'll talk to Amelia. I should be able to talk her into leaving Ron to us and the Hogwarts teachers. Especially if I tell her that Severus Snape is the one keeping watch for his arrival to Hogwarts." Arthur said as he moved towards the Floo. He smiled reassuringly at his wife, "Don't worry, everything will be fine." He said, trying to convince her as much as he was trying to convince himself._

Ron was relieved when he finally saw the castle in the distance. This had started out fun, but it didn't take long for the fun to fade. Especially with nobody to talk to. Now, he was hot, tired, thirsty and HUNGRY. He just wanted to land, go to the feast, see his sister Sorted, and go to bed. During the flight, he had found a pack of toffee's in the glove compartment, but they only made him wish for the food cart on the train even more. He had also tried, again, to come with theories on why Professor Snape was suddenly being nice to Harry earlier that summer. Then, when he once again failed to figure that one out, he turned his attention to Hermione. He figured he was just going to have to consult with Harry on that one.

Neither Ron nor Harry were at all blind to Hermione's blind devotion to authority. Oh, she was much more relaxed about rules than she was when they first met her, but she would still go on about them and scold whenever they broke the rules. Speaking of... he was probably going to get an earful from her for flying this car.

And that whine from the engine was getting harder and harder to ignore. He really hoped the car held together. Hogwarts was right there... Just a little farther... As soon as he got across the Black Lake, he sighed in relief and pulled up on the wheel to start landing. The car didn't like that. With one last stuttering whine, the engine died.

Time might as well have stopped completely as Ron stared at the dashboard in disbelief before he started frantically pummeling the ignition switch and frantically trying to keep the car in a controlled descent while screaming at the car to start. His new owl, purchased only that morning to replace Scabbers, shrieked in the backseat in protest of how rough the ride had suddenly become. Some distant part of his mind wondered at how she was really going to hate him if they both survived this.

He screamed when he saw the side of the castle looming, and he barely swerved the car in time to avoid crashing into the stone, Ron sighed in relief for a moment until he barely avoided running into the greenhouse roof.

He somehow managed to steer the car into the branches of a large tree with a loud CRUNCH, which was a relief and let him catch his breath while planning how to get down, this was NOT the smooth landing on the school grounds he was expecting while everybody watched jealously. This was a nightmare. The hood was crumpled and steam was billowing out, his owl was still shrieking in terror, and his head was throbbing. Though, whether that was from the stress, or if he actually hit his head he had no idea.

The last thing he expected now that he was safe, was for the tree he landed in... to attack him.

At that very moment, something hit his side of the car with the force of a charging bull, sending him lurching sideways, just as an equally heavy blow hit the roof.

"What's happen-?"

Ron gasped, staring through the windshield, and ducked just in time to avoid getting hit as a branch as thick as a python smashed into it. The tree was really attacking him. Its trunk was bent almost double, and its gnarled boughs were pummeling every inch of the car it could reach. He heard the owl cage rattling around behind him, as well as a screech of metal, glancing back, he noticed that the top of the cage had been hit and was now twisted, with his owl trembling at the bottom of the cage, staring at the top of it with wide eyes.

"Aaargh!" said Ron as another twisted limb punched a large dent into his door; the windshield was now trembling under a hail of blows from knuckle-like twigs and a branch as thick as a battering ram was pounding furiously on the roof, which seemed to be caving-

"This is crazy!" Ron shouted, throwing his full weight against his door, but next second he had been knocked backward into the other seat by a vicious uppercut from another branch.

"Why, why, why?" he moaned as the ceiling sagged, but suddenly the floor of the car was vibrating- the engine had restarted.

"Reverse!" He yelled, and the car shot backward; the tree was still trying to hit him; they could hear its roots creaking as it almost ripped itself up, lashing out at them as they sped out of reach.

"That," panted Ron, "was close. "Well done, car-"

The car, however, had reached the end of its tether. With a sharp clunk, the door flew open and Ron felt his seat tip sideways: Next thing he knew he was sprawled on the damp ground. Loud thuds told him that the car was ejecting his luggage from the trunk; the cage flew through the air. Then, dented, scratched, and steaming, the car rumbled off into the darkness, its rear lights blazing angrily.

"Come back!" Ron yelled after it, chasing after it a few yards. "Dad'll kill me!"

But the car disappeared from view with one last snort from its exhaust.

Sapphire, (surprisingly enough named by Fred for her unusual eye color) flew out of her damaged cage with a shriek, clipping him on the head as she went. He winced, he should definitely take her some bacon or something in the morning as an apology. She was really having a bad first day with her new owner.

Ron looked back to the tree that attacked him and shivered when he saw it was still moving menacingly. He checked his wand in his wrist holster, grabbed his stuff, and started trekking towards the castle. "If I hurry, I should be able to catch the end of the feast." He said out loud.

Then he heard it. That silky Voice of Doom (as described by Fred and George). Only Slytherins had no reason to fear the man it belonged to. "I do not think you will make it to the Feast tonight, Mr. Weasley."

Ron froze and turned slowly towards the voice, only to gulp when he saw the man it belonged to coming out of the darkness, Severus's eyes glittered and he had a smirk on his face. "Mr. Weasley, I do believe the students are supposed to arrive on the train..." He said silkily with a menacing smirk on his face.

* * *

Severus was getting impatient. What was taking the Weasley boy so long? The carriages carrying the other students had already arrived, along with the First Years, he was pretty sure the Sorting had probably started by now.

Finally, he heard it. The sounds of an engine.

A satisfied smirk grew, until he noted that the engine sounded strained. The thought that the boy would be lucky to land before the engine gave out had barely crossed his mind when the car he was watching suddenly went silent. He froze and the smirk disappeared, that wasn't good. Looks like the boy wasn't lucky after all.

He pulled his wand out of its holster, fully prepared to use it in an effort to save his Dunderheaded student, he may be angry, and the boy may be an idiot Gryffindor, but the boy was still one of his students. Not to mention Harry's friend.

He watched with his heart in his throat as the car almost crashed into the side of the castle, then avoided the greenhouses, only to finally crash... in the Whomping Willow. His eyes widened and he cursed, before he threw himself off the side of the tower and flew down to the ground. That was twice in two days that he used techniques taught to him by the Dark Lord. He better hope Dumbledore didn't find out, if the old fool thought he was returning to 'old habits'...

The old man was one of those who saw all Dark Magic as evil. While any and all Dark Wizards would be the first to tell you that that was who they were. That was how their magic was. It was Black Magic that was evil.

He ran towards the tree, hoping that he could get there in time and that the little Dunderhead was still alive. He would have flown there, but he was out of practice with the technique, and it was draining when you weren't used to it.

When he got there, he was horrified to find that the tree was currently living up to its name and attacking the car. He could hear Ron yelling and screaming, along with an owl screeching in the raised his wand and shot the first spell that came to mind, which happened to be an energy transfer of sorts. Sirius and James taught it to him, it was usually used by Aurors who needed to get an exhausted squad member moving, and quickly. Whatever the case, it worked, surprisingly. This charm wasn't made for inanimate objects that he knew of... A few seconds later, the cars engine started again.

He stood back and listened as Weasley screamed 'reverse!', and then watched as the car reversed its way out of the tree. He stepped back into the shadows and decided to watch for a few moments, almost giving himself away when he saw the car forcefully eject Weasley along with his luggage and take off for the Forbidden Forest. He allowed himself a small, dark chuckle when the boy chased it and finally said that his DAD would kill him. Honestly, if he were the boy, he would be much more concerned with the mother.

Especially since as far as he knew, the mother was currently still sitting in Minerva's office waiting for him to arrive while the father was still at the Ministry talking with Amelia and a few Aurors while they tried to decide if he actually broke the law or not. Personally, he knew Arthur didn't do anything wrong, after all, Severus had read the law Arthur wrote. It was really quite Slytherin of the man how he wrote that loophole in.

He watched in amusement as the owl made sure to cuff the boy with her wing as she made her escape from a damaged cage. He was going to have a hard time getting her cooperation for a while... He decided to wait and follow the boy for now, and plan his entrance. He loved making dramatic entrance's, especially when it scared Dunderheaded students. Like he told Harry, how he acted during the school year wasn't COMPLETELY an act.

He had to have some source of amusement in his life, after all. And Dunderhead's exploding or melting cauldrons got old before it even began.

"If I hurry, I should be able to catch the end of the feast." He heard Weasley mutter to himself as he started walking up to the castle.

Then, Severus decided to make his presence known. "I do not think you will make it to the Feast tonight, Mr. Weasley." He smirked as the boy froze before turning around slowly as he himself stepped forward out of the darkness. "Mr. Weasley, I do believe the students are supposed to arrive on the train..." He gleefully informed the petrified boy silkily. "Lola!" He suddenly snapped out. When his house-elf appeared, he instructed her to take Mr. Weasley's things, before turning on his heel and snapping out for the boy to follow, which he did, slowly.

Severus had to hide his hands in his sleeves to hide the shaking. No matter how angry he was with the student and how much he didn't really care for the Weasley's in general, the fact remained that the boy was still his student, and he would not let anything happen to his students. He was very protective of what he considered his, after all. And they were HIS students while they were on school grounds. After they graduated or left for the summer, then he was no longer responsible for there safety. And watching that tree attacking one of his students, on school grounds, terrified him.

He couldn't show that though. Now that the danger was over, he could go back to being angry, and now he was channeling most of that worry into his anger, anger at the fact the little Dunderhead made him worry in the first place. Really, it was the Dunderhead's own fault he needed saving.

Sweeping into the dungeons, and smirking at the Weasley boys longing look towards the Great Hall, he opened the door to his office, and gestured for the boy to go in. Standing in front of the desk and staring at the boy in front of him, he decided to pretend he didn't see the fight with the tree.

"So," he said softly, "the train isn't good enough for Harry Potter's faithful sidekick Weasley. Wanted to arrive with a _bang,_ did we?"

 _"_ No, sir, it was the barrier at King's Cross, it-"

"Silence!" said Severus coldly even as he wondered just what happened with the barrier. Could Dobby have closed it, not knowing that Harry was already on the train, or just not even with the Weasley's. It was possible that the elf was distracted with seeing to his Master's needs. "What have you done with the car?"

Ron gulped. This wasn't the first time Severus had given him the impression of being able to read minds. But a moment later, he understood, as Severus unrolled today's issue of the _Evening Prophet_.

"You were seen," he hissed, showing the headline: _FLYING FORD ANGLIA MYSTIFIED MUGGLES._ He began to read aloud: "Two Muggles in London, convinced they saw an old car flying over the Post Office tower... at noon in Norfolk, Mrs. Hetty Bayliss, while hanging out her washing... Mr. Angus Fleet, of Peebles, reported to police... six or seven Muggles in all. I believe _your_ father works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office?" he said, looking up at Ron and smiling still more nastily. Maybe this could make him think next time he got a stupid idea in his head. "Dear, dear... his own son..." A low blow, sure, but... if it would make him think next time.

Ron suddenly felt sick. If anyone found out his father had bewitched the car... he hadn't thought of that...

"I noticed, in my search of the park, that considerable damage seems to have been done to a very valuable Whomping Willow," Severus went on, pretending he hadn't seen it first hand.

"That tree did more damage to _me_ than I-" Ron blurted out.

" _Silence_!" Snapped Severus again. He hated being interrupted. He sat and watched the boy for a moment, before he said slowly and quietly, his voice never losing it's threatening quality, "You may be Harry's best friend, but that will not save you from me if you ever do anything this Dunderheaded again, do you understand me? I expect you to _think_ before acting next time. Harry has told me how you got past Minerva's chess set, so I know there is a brain there. As it is... you're parents have been speaking with Madam Bones at the DMLE for most of the day, convincing her to let Professor McGonagall and I handle this. Now most unfortunately for me, you are not in my House and the decision to expel you does not rest with me, or that is exactly what would happen. I shall go and fetch the person who _does_ have that happy power. You will wait here and don't touch _anything_."

Feeling like the boy was sufficiently warned, for now, Severus swept back out of his office, he decided to check the Great Hall first, he didn't know if Molly was still here, or if she left to go home for the night, leaving her son to him and Minerva. He stepped into the Great Hall, relieved to find Minerva sitting back down in her spot, he assumed she just got back from taking the Sorting Hat back to its spot in the Headmaster's office.

He looked around as he walked and was relieved to see Harry sitting with Neville and Ms. Granger at the Gryffindor table. Harry was watching him discretely, he was watching in worry, without trying to be obvious about it. He shook his head discreetly, and went up to Minerva, "Mr. Weasley is currently in my office. If you could come and... _discuss_ his punishment as his Head of House." He said as he stood between her and Dumbledore. She raised an eyebrow, but got up to follow him. "Will you be joining us later?" He asked Dumbledore, he had been informed of the situation earlier. They had to since he was the Headmaster, and this was a serious matter. Severus swept off with Minerva in tow once Dumbledore nodded.

"How badly have you scared him?" She asked as they left the Hall.

He shrugged. "He has been informed that while the decision to expel him does not rest with me, it does with you." He said, and he was pretty sure Minerva could hear the glee in his voice. Then he turned a little more serious. "I had to restart the car as it was being attacked by the Whomping Willow." He informed her as he stopped outside his office. She went white before her mouth thinned, a sure sign that she was angry.

"I see." She said tightly. "Shouldn't you have taken him to the Hospital Wing?" She asked, concerned.

"He appears to be uninjured, just shaken up." He said just before he stepped through the door.

* * *

Ron's eyes widened when Snape left, white-faced. He didn't feel hungry any more. He now felt extremely sick. He tried not to look at a large, slimy something suspended in green liquid on a shelf behind Snape's desk. If Snape had gone to fetch Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House, then he didn't see how he was any better off. She might be fairer than Snape, but she was still extremely strict. And his parents had already been meeting with the Head of the DMLE! Oh, he messed up.

Ten minutes later, Snape returned, and sure enough it was Professor McGonagall who accompanied him. He had seen Professor McGonagall angry on several occasions, but either he had forgotten just how thin her mouth could go, or he had never seen her this angry before. She raised her wand the moment she entered; Ron flinched, but she merely pointed it at the empty fireplace, where flames suddenly erupted. He almost sighed in relief at the warmth, it was cold in these dungeons. He suspected Snape did it on purpose.

"Sit," she said, and he backed into a chair by the fire, shrinking back in it when he saw her glare. Yeah, she was angry.

"Explain," she said, her glasses glinted ominously.

Ron launched into the story, starting with the barrier at the station refusing to let them through.

"-so I had no choice, Professor, I couldn't get on the train."

"Why didn't you send us a letter by owl? Your mother informed me that you bought one this morning?" Professor McGonagall asked Ron coldly.

Ron gaped at her. Now she said it, that seemed the obvious thing to have done.

"I- I didn't think-"

"That," said Professor McGonagall, "is obvious."

There was a knock on the office door and Snape, now looking happier than ever, opened it. There stood the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore.

Ron's whole body went numb. This was the man who stole everything from his family. Who sealed his families abilities, who sealed Harry's magic, and nobody knew why he was doing this. He remembered what his father told him about not looking in his eyes. Dumbledore was looking unusually grave. He stared down his very crooked nose at them, and Ron suddenly found himself wishing he was still being beaten up by the Whomping Willow. No matter what he knew about this old man, he couldn't deny that Dumbledore did a very good job of seeming like a disappointed grandfather.

There was a long silence. Then Dumbledore said, "Please explain why you did this."

It would have been better if he had shouted. Ron almost hated the disappointment in his voice, then felt disgusted for letting himself almost be drawn in. He was unable to look Dumbledore in the eyes, and spoke instead to his knees, pretending that it was out of guilt (not too far-fetched, after all, his parents would probably be in trouble for this). He told Dumbledore everything except that his dad owned the bewitched car, making it sound as though he had happened to find a flying car parked outside the station. He knew Dumbledore would see through this at once, but Dumbledore asked no questions about the car. When Ron had finished, he merely continued to peer down at him through his spectacles.

"I'll go and get my stuff," said Ron in a hopeless sort of voice.

"What are you talking about, Weasley?" barked Professor McGonagall.

"Well, you're expelling me, aren't you?" said Ron.

"Not today, Mr. Weasley," said Dumbledore. Ron quickly looked at Dumbledore, careful not to look in his eyes. "But I must impress upon you the seriousness of what you have done. I would write to your family tonight, but I know your mother was already here. I must also warn you that if you do anything like this again, I will have no choice but to expel you."

Ron's eyes widened at hearing that his mother was already there. That couldn't be good...

Snape looked as though Christmas had been canceled. He cleared his throat and said, "Professor Dumbledore, this boy has flouted the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry, caused serious damage to an old and valuable tree- surely acts of this nature-"

"It will be for Professor McGonagall to decide on his punishment, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "He is in her House and therefore her responsibility." He turned to Professor McGonagall. "I must go back to the feast, Minerva, I've got to give out a few notices. Come, Severus, there's a delicious-looking custard tart I want to sample-"

Snape shot a look of pure venom at Ron, although considering how Snape had been with Harry a few weeks ago, it might have actually been a look of extreme irritation, as he allowed himself to be swept out of his office, leaving him alone with Professor McGonagall, who was still eyeing him like a wrathful eagle.

"You'd better get along to the hospital wing, Weasley, you're bleeding."

"Not much," said Ron, hastily wiping the cut over his eye with his sleeve. "Professor, I wanted to watch my sister being Sorted-"

"The Sorting Ceremony is over," said Professor McGonagall. "Your sister is also in Gryffindor."

"Oh, good," said Ron.

"And speaking of Gryffindor-" Professor McGonagall said sharply, but Ron cut in: "Professor, when we took the car, term hadn't started, so- so Gryffindor shouldn't really have points taken from it- should it?" he finished, watching her anxiously, it was a very Slytherin tactic, but at the same time... he grew up with the Twins and was best friends with Harry. If anyone was a Snake in Lions clothing, it was those three.

Professor McGonagall gave him a piercing look, but he was sure she had almost smiled. Her mouth looked less thin, anyway.

"I will not take any points from Gryffindor," she said, and Ron's heart lightened considerably. "But you will be in detentions for the next month, and I have yet to decide who they will be served with. You are lucky, Mr. Weasley, that Madam Bones agreed to leave your punishments in my hands. You almost shattered the Statute of Secrecy into pieces."

Ron winced. He was very lucky, it was better than Ron had expected. As for his mother... he knew exactly what to expect there. He would be lucky if she didn't show up to the school the next day, or worse, send a Howler. Ron just knew that he caused a lot of trouble with his parents legally.

Professor McGonagall raised her wand again and pointed it at Snape's desk. A large plate of sandwiches, a silver goblet, and a jug of iced pumpkin juice appeared with a pop.

"You will eat in here and then come straight to my office," she said. "I must also return to the feast."

When the door had closed behind her, Ron let out a long, low whistle before he reached for the food.

"I thought I'd had it," he said, talking to himself. "Fred and George must've flown that car five or six times and no Muggle ever saw _them._ " He grumbled before he took a huge bite of his sandwich. " _Why_ couldn't I get through the barrier?" He asked himself again.

When he had eaten as many sandwiches as he could (the plate kept refilling itself) he rose and left the office, treading the path to the Professor's office, and really wishing he wasn't. **  
**

* * *

"I wonder where Ron is?" Neville asked, looking around the Great Hall as they sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"I don't know. I haven't seen him all day." Harry said, he was getting worried about his best friend. Especially when he looked at the staff table and Severus wasn't there. He grimaced when he saw a blond haired guy dressed in bright, attention getting robes. Please, don't let that be this years Defense teacher. Since this wasn't a witch, he felt safe in the assumption that they had the Fraud himself.

Joy.

On top of Ron and Fraud's, he was also worried about the Black Heir ring protections not working. He knew that was stupid, but he couldn't help it.

"Could he have been hiding out? I mean, it was all over the news that his pet rat was really an animagus." Neville said with a frown.

Hermione frowned in concern. She'd been told and shown the newspaper article detailing the Wizengamot session the other day. They clearly hadn't told her everything, but she was still reeling from what they did tell her, so she was content to know enough for now.

At first she'd refused to believe that the rat had really been a person, she'd been in as much denial as Ron had, but both Harry and Neville reminded her that they were there when he was being questioned. And, naturally, she refused to believe anything written about Dumbledore. She kept insisting that he must have had his reasons, and that he was only doing what he thought was best. She thought it was tragic, of course, that Sirius had spent so much time locked away like that, but for all her reading, she didn't know anything about the wizarding prison system. It was one of those things that just wasn't talked or written about.

If she had, she probably would have been a little less believing in Dumbledore. Neville decided that she'd already received enough of a shock for the day.

"Hey, did you hear? Ron was flying a _car_ here." Dean leaned over and said, excited, he effectively distracted Hermione from her own scan of the Head Table, she was trying to find Lockhart, he was just so handsome! Not to mention all those things he did in his books, oh, she couldn't wait for Defense class, she bet they would learn so much from him.

"You shouldn't spread rumors, Dean!" Hermione scolded. Honestly, she already had this conversation with Harry on the train, she had started talking about Lockhart being their new teacher, and how lucky they were to have him, but then he started going on about how he was nothing more than a Fraud! Sure, this morning before the train left she got a recall notice from Flourish and Blotts, but they just said there was a mistake with the book-lists and if she wanted the real Defense book, then she should send in her Lockhart books to be returned. She wasn't going to return them though, so she simply sent money back with the owl along with a request for them to just send her the real book as well.

"Hey," He said, holding up his hands in defense. "I heard it from some of the older students who get the evening newspaper."

"Fred! George!" Harry called when he saw the two come in, "What's this about Ron flying a car here?" He asked when the two joined them.

Fred frowned, and Harry caught the flash of concern across George's face. "I don't know if he actually did or not..." Fred started.

"But we do own a flying car." George said quietly, the concern and worry didn't go away. Because really, if Ron was seen flying it... and it was clear that most of the student body had already heard, then their dad was going to be in a lot of trouble. It was bad enough Percy had gotten a message as soon as they got off the train to head to Professor McGonagall's office right away.

Neville sucked in a breath, "Doesn't your dad work in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office at the Ministry?" He asked. The Twins nodded.

The conversation was interrupted when McGonagall led in the first years, and boy, did they look tiny.

Harry looked around in concern again, he still didn't see his red-haired friend. Could he really have flown a car here? Was he even here yet? He hoped Ron didn't crash somewhere or something else. He shook his head and focused back in the Hat when it started singing. Although he let his attention wander again, not really paying anymore attention until he heard Ginevra Weasley's name called.

He watched the little redhead walk nervously up to the stool and sit for a few minutes before the hat finally called 'Gryffindor!'

He, and the other three Weasley's in the room, cheered the loudest, despite all the Lions in the room cheering pretty loud. All the older students seemed more amused then anything, and even a little relieved. Probably amused because this was yet another Weasley, and relieved because this would be the last Weasley for a while. Really, not even they probably knew.

Harry didn't really pay much attention after that, only enough to notice Dumbledore glancing in his direction, looking for all the world like a concerned Grandfather, but Harry caught a glint of... something, in his eyes. Anticipation? Either way, Hermione had to shake his arm to get him to notice when the food appeared. He forced himself to eagerly reach for some, he felt the ring on his finger warm up as soon as he dropped it on his plate, which meant the potions were all on his plate, probably his silverware and his goblet. And as soon as the food came into contact with the potion, it would transfer. This way, Dumbledore avoided the risk that everyone else would get caught up in it, or that Harry would avoid eating the foods that were drugged.

Dumbledore was probably trying to avoid just outright drugging everybody around him, that would be too suspicious after all, and dangerous should any of the students go see Pomfrey and the potions were found in their systems like they were his. But him... Severus's theory was that Dumbledore had Confounded Pomfrey or something into looking the other way where he was concerned. At least, when it wasn't whatever school related injury he was in for that time.

He gritted his teeth, and ate his food like a good boy. He could feel, just for a second, the potions take hold, but then his ring, he could have sworn that one of the rings paired with the Potter ring warmed up too, washed it away and his head was clear again. He sighed in relief, and nodded to Neville when he caught the other boy looking at him discreetly.

He looked up when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye near the door, and was relieved to see Severus walk in, but also a little worried. Why was he late? Nothing happened, did it? Was Ron alright? He tried to be discreet as he watched the man look around, and he sighed when Severus shook his head slightly at him before going to speak with Professor McGonagall about something, presumably Ron. He watched as he bent down between them and whispered something to both Dumbledore and his Head of House, before sweeping off again with McGonagall following in his wake, her face was pinched and her mouth was thinner than he'd ever seen it.

"Whatever's going on, Snape just came to get Professor McGonagall." He said to his friends and the Twins who were still sitting nearby. He had to make a conscious effort to say Severus's name the way he normally would. Neville was the only one nearby that knew the truth. He would probably tell the Twins soon, and he still wanted to talk to Severus about Hermione. On that note, he should probably start planning how he was going to get his detention. Ugh, detention the first few days of school was not how he wanted to start the year. He had decided to do better this year, and getting detention so soon was not the way to go about that.

He focused in on the conversation in time to hear some of the other students asking the Weasley twins about having Peter Pettigrew as a pet rat. He glanced around, and all the sixth year boys looked just as disgusted and disturbed as he and Neville had been. Which made sense, they had that rat sleeping in their dorm for four years, and they probably did their fair share of rat-sitting duty whenever Percy was in the hospital wing for who knows what. As opposed to Harry and Neville who only had him for the one year.

"That reminds me," Percy suddenly spoke up from a little further down the table. "Professor McGonagall wants to see all second and sixth year boys in her office after the feast. Since we were the ones with Pettigrew in our dorm." He informed everyone. If anybody noticed the haunted look when he mentioned Pettigrew, nobody mentioned it.

It was then that Harry glanced back up at the Head Table and blinked, when did Severus return to the Feast? Even as he watched, Professor McGonagall walked in and took her seat, reaching for her own food. "The professor's are back." He said quietly.

"Then where is Ron? Shouldn't they be keeping an eye out for him? Madam Pomfrey is still up there." Hermione said.

"Maybe they sent him back up to the Tower and sent food up there? You know, as punishment?" Neville suggested.

"Maybe. But I think this would be too big for that to be his punishment and nothing else is done." Harry said.

"Oh, come on. You shouldn't listen to rumors, we don't know that he actually flew a car. Ron is thick, but he's not that thick." Hermione huffed, annoyed.

"Hermione, one of the older students showed me the picture, of the flying car, with Ron in the driver's seat. It's on the front page of the Evening Prophet." Dean said, slightly offended. Why did she never seem to believe anything unless she read about it or a teacher told her?

She would have answered back, but the desserts chose that moment to disappear, which was Dumbledore's cue to make his beginning of the year announcements. "Well, I hope you enjoyed that wonderful feast. There are a few notices that need to be mentioned. First, I would like to remind everyone that the Forbidden Forest is, of course, _forbidden_ to all students," His twinkling eyes flashed towards the Twins, and Harry. None of them looked the slightest bit sheepish, although in Harry's case, they were the ones who sent him in there for detention. It wasn't his fault. "Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you, again, that magic is forbidden in the corridors, and for those of you wishing to see the list of banned objects, see the list attached to his door. I believe there are over 400 items on it. Now, it is my pleasure to introduce our newest staff member, Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." He said, sweeping a hand in Lockhart's direction.

Lockhart, for his part, stood and swept into a bow, smiling and waving jauntily at the clapping students. Although, in the girls case, they were actually swooning, and squealing in delight. Some were swearing to their friends that he was waving and smiling at _her_. Harry saw a few guys talking excitedly to their friends, they were clearly the ones who were huge fans and believed everything in his books, but for the most part, the guys were regarding the squealing girls with disgust and confusion. Honestly, they could care less about the guy, in fact, they thought he looked kind of pathetic and not at all like he was in any way used to the kind of hard living described in his books, what little they actually read or heard.

Harry had to hide a smirk when he saw the look of absolute loathing on Severus's face when he regarded the Fraud playing up the crowd like a peacock. He also saw Severus hiss something under his breath that Lockhart obviously heard, because he took one look at Severus and abruptly sat down, a look of fear flashing across his face before he managed to hide it. Oh, that was one story he was definitely going to have to get from his godfather.

He tuned out the rest of the announcements, only tuning back in when everyone started to get up and leave for their dorms, he sighed when he saw Percy gathering all the sixth and second year Lions by the doors, before herding them all towards Professor McGonagall's office. He apparently decided it would save time if he made sure they all arrived at once, that way they wouldn't have to wait for anybody. His own dorm mates didn't seem amused at being herded along like this, but they also seemed resigned, like they expected nothing less, which, Harry figured, was probably true after sharing a room with Percy for five years.

When they finally reached her office, they had to wait for her for a few minutes, she was probably still in the Great Hall answering questions from students or making sure the prefects were doing their jobs. It didn't take long before Ron showed up, although it was Percy who spotted him first.

"Ron, you're bleeding!" Percy said, worried.

"It's fine, what are all of you doing here?" He asked, brushing his brother off, but otherwise letting him fuss.

"Professor McGonagall wanted to meet with all the sixth and second year boys. She wanted to talk about Pettigrew. You know, since he lived in our dorms with us..." Percy said, grimacing. "Why didn't Professor McGonagall send you to Madam Pomfrey?" He said, frustrated as he healed it with the only healing spell he knew. He made sure to learn some first-aid spells when he first became a prefect, just in case. It was also a good idea with how many siblings he had and how chaotic the Burrow could get sometimes.

"I'm afraid I was a bit preoccupied, rest assured, Mr. Weasley, the lapse in judgement will not happen again. Everyone in." Professor McGonagall said from behind them. They were so focused on Ron and Percy, that none of them saw her walk up. She waved her wand at her office door, causing it to open and letting them all troop in obediently.

She sat behind her desk, and sighed, rubbing a hand against her forehead. Ron shifted guiltily, especially when he saw the amount of paperwork sitting stacked up on one side of her desk. "Alright, for those of who you have not already heard, the Ronald's pet rat Scabbers, who used to belong to Percival, was in fact, not a rat. He was an animagus named Peter Pettigrew. He was discovered two days ago during the impromptu trial of Sirius Black. Now, he has been charged with Treason, being a Death Eater, murder, and trespassing. Along with a litany of other charges that they seem to just automatically tack on to any and all convicted Death Eaters. Those charges usually include rape, murder, use of the Unforgivables, and a couple of other things I can't remember at the moment. And of course, being an unregistered Animagus." She said tiredly.

"Now, because this murderer lived in your dorms, for four years or one year, it doesn't matter, Sirius Black is offering to arrange for a goblin memory expert to see any of you that wish to take him up on this offer. Possibly even a Mind Healer, should the other one find something concerning." She finished.

"A memory expert, ma'am?" Dean asked.

"Yes, Mr. Thomas. You see, we don't think he spent any time outside of his rat form while in the school, however, at the same time, even if he did, he would have most likely erased your memory of the event if you were to ever catch him. Now, Mr. Black is merely concerned, and wants to make sure he didn't do anything. If any of your memories are found to be tampered with, then he may open up the invitation to the whole House, we are unsure yet. The choice is yours."

All the students looked at each other, fear and uncertainty in their eyes.


	16. Chapter 16

_"A memory expert, ma'am?" Dean asked._

 _"Yes, Mr. Thomas. You see, we don't think he spent any time outside of his rat form while in the school, however, at the same time, even if he did, he would have most likely erased your memory of the event if you were to ever catch him. Now, Mr. Black is merely concerned, and wants to make sure he didn't do anything. If any of your memories are found to be tampered with, then he may open up the invitation to the whole House, we are unsure yet. The choice is yours."_

 _All the students looked at each other, fear and uncertainty in their eyes._

Dumbledore was furious when he got back to his office. He had assumed that Potter would be with the Weasley's, not far-fetched considering they were the only ones he knew within the wizarding world, being friends with the youngest son. But no, he closed the barrier on the youngest Weasley boy for nothing. The only thing he accomplished was almost getting the wizarding world exposed to the Muggles!

Oh, the part of his plan where Weasley number six thought of flying the car to the school worked perfectly. The problem was, Potter was supposed to be with him! Not safely already on the train. Then, when the boys arrived, he was going to swoop in, and save them from any and all punishment. Cementing the trust they would have for him, a trust that would only be multiplied when his loyalty potions took hold. Blast it though, why did Severus have to go and inform Minerva? And why did she have to go to the Weasley parents? They parents managed to convince Amelia Bones to leave the punishment up to Minerva and Severus, that was not supposed to happen either.

Although, he supposed that since Potter wasn't with the boy, that was necessary, after all, the Weasley boy wouldn't be let off as easily without Potter there as he would have been otherwise. If Potter had been there, then they would have just let it slide. Potter was the Boy-Who-Lived, after all.

But still! The boy ruined his plans, again, without even trying! When Minerva gave the boys detention, he was going to 'suggest' that the idiot Lockhart take Potter's, while Weasley could go with Filch. He didn't care about Weasley, no, he wanted Potter to go with Gilderoy, and then he could express his deepest regrets and offer to teach him instead when Potter came to him, complaining, about such an awful teacher. Or, and this was his second best scenario that he had in mind, Potter would be so disgusted with how Gilderoy was behaving with his fame, that it would keep him from growing a head just as large. Of course, if something happened this year, which it would whether he had to stage something or not, then Potter would know exactly how useless the Defense teacher this year was, and he would take care of it himself.

Really, but now the boy wasn't in detention, so he would have to just try and make sure Potter ran into Gilderoy as much as possible in the hallways, and hope the man made as much a fool of himself in class as possible. Hopefully, that would be enough to get the desired results.

Feeling calmer, he popped a lemon-drop (the ones that weren't laced with veritaserum) in his mouth and cheerfully started planning something he could stage, just in case nothing happened on its own.

On his perch, Fawkes watched and 'listened' to everything his 'bonded' wizard was planning. Truthfully, Fawkes was the bonded familiar to Godric Gryffindor, and when Godric passed, he bonded himself to his wizards school. That way, he could keep an eye on things and step in if any of the Headmaster's started behaving in a way that wasn't beneficial to his bonded's greatest achievement. Godric loved Hogwarts, and he loved her students. Unfortunately, Fawkes hadn't been able to act against this man since the day he first stepped through those doors as the Transfiguration professor almost a century ago. The first thing the man did was come to the Heads office, and do... something. To this day, Fawkes still had no idea what he did. All he knew, was that whenever he tried to warn the Head that something wasn't right, to not listen to Dumbledore, he was stopped.

When the man was chosen as the Deputy Head, Fawkes could do nothing against it, in fact, he found himself agreeing to it against his will! Not even his burning days were enough to throw whatever it was off. It got worse when Dippet 'willingly' retired and left Dumbledore in charge, and Dumbledore immediately claimed Fawkes to be his personal familiar. As if Fawkes would ever bind himself to this man! He was bound to the school, but to his horror, whatever the man did to him all those years ago, forced a bond between them. His bond to the school was almost cut off, almost. Hogwarts was an ancient school, holding more power in her walls than a man like Dumbledore could ever dream of. Unfortunately, Fawkes more often than not was her 'voice'. If Fawkes said someone was to never gain entry, then it didn't matter what the ward scheme allowed, not that the wards were really good for much these days anyway, that person wasn't gaining entry. Until Fawkes found a way to break free of whatever this was, the school would accept this man.

Luckily, Dumbledore didn't know the extent of Fawkes connection to the school. If he did, he would have perhaps forced Fawkes to tell him everything that was going on. And the less the man knew about what Harry Potter and Severus Snape were up to, the better. For everyone involved.

* * *

Harry woke up the next morning to Peeves bouncing around the room and messing with Ron's stuff. "Peeves!" He whisper shouted. "Get out of here!" When the poltergeist merely blew him a raspberry and swooped down on Harry's bed until Harry made the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin Heir rings appear, that was. "Peeves, you will leave this room and those who sleep here alone! Understood?" He asked harshly.

Thank goodness he read in one of the family journals that the Founders Heirs had absolute control in the castle. Over everything. Including Poltergeists who never listened to anyone.

Peeves stopped and stared at the rings on his fingers for a bit before he pouted and swept out of the room. Harry listened, and snickered when he heard some really girly shrieks coming from the room right above theirs. Which so happened to be the seventh years...

"PEEVES!" He heard a minute later. Quickly followed by shouts throughout the tower for them to shut up, which was followed by loud cursing and grumbling when they realized it was too late to just go back to sleep. Harry laughed and watched amazed as his dorm-mates slept through all the noise. He shook his head and decided he better shower now, before the hot water was gone. Sure, he could just heat it up again, but his control was still too shaky to risk that. He did not want to boil himself alive, thank you very much.

By the time Harry was showered and dressed, Dean and Seamus were already getting their stuff around for their own showers, while Neville was flopped over on his back blinking sleepily at the ceiling while his blankets were half pooled on the ground. And Ron was still fast asleep and snoring away.

Harry groaned when he remembered the Rule.

The year before, they had so much trouble getting Ron up in time for breakfast by the time they were all ready. It had been next to impossible, in fact they were almost late to class more than once because of it (this was before they were friendly with Hermione. Now, Hermione would barge up there and drag Ron out of bed if he wasn't up at what she thought was a reasonable time). So, Dean came up with the Rule. Basically, the first one out of the bathroom in the mornings was responsible for getting Ron up and moving while the rest of them got ready. This way, they could all be up at a reasonable time and Hermione would stop barging in on them. Honestly, what if one of them was still getting dressed when she came in? She didn't even bother to knock!

The problem was, he was so hard to get up! Harry had no idea how Mrs. Weasley did it every morning for eleven years. Maybe he could owl her...? Or ask Percy... he feared what the Twins might say if he asked them.

Dean and Seamus snickered when they heard his groan before they disappeared into the bathroom. Luckily, they had two shower stalls, otherwise it would have taken forever to get all of them through in the mornings.

Harry scowled at them, but grabbed his stuff for the day. He just grabbed all his books since he didn't know what classes they had that day. Luckily, the bag Severus got him had feather-weight charms and expansion charms on it. Nothing nearly so extensive as the pouch Sharptooth gave him, of course, but still. He made sure said pouch was in the front pocket of his bag, his real trunk, as well as everything else he owned that was special to him that he didn't trust to be in his not-quite-as-secure school trunk was in there, he wasn't going to leave it laying around in his room for people to find.

Finally, he couldn't put it off any longer. He turned to face Ron's bed, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Neville was awake enough to sit up and watch what was going on. "What happened to his stuff?" Neville asked around a yawn.

"Peeves." Harry answered absently as he made his way over, taking out his wand and preparing to cast Auguamenti. If he was going to be in charge of getting Ron up the first morning they were back, then he was going to have some fun with it. He just hoped he didn't overpower it and end up blasting Ron off his bed. He did take the time before he actually cast to bring his magic under his control. He wasn't quite at the point yet that only letting out the small amounts necessary was second-nature.

"Oh," Neville said, then he looked around and blinked in surprise. "Ron's bed was the only one he got to?" He asked, and left it at that when Harry shrugged and held up his hand, showing his Heir rings. Neville decided he didn't want to know how Harry got rid of the Poltergeist.

Neville yawned again before he rolled out of bed, landing with a soft thump and an 'ow'.

"You ok?" Harry asked in concern, looking over from his spot by Ron's bed. How on earth did he never notice how Neville was in the mornings before this summer? Besides the fact that he was usually the second to last one awake. With Ron obviously being the last.

"Yeah, I'm good. Hey, why don't you put the cookies and stuff on your bed for now, we can see about getting a table or something later." Neville suggested as he got up and started rummaging for his stuff.

"Ok, I'll get those once Ron is up." Harry said, and with that, blasted Ron with a stream of very, very cold water.

Ron woke up with a short, girly sounding scream. When he shot up, the force of the water, it was still slightly more forceful, and cold, than Harry wanted, ended up knocking him off the bed. He sat on the floor, stunned, for a moment, before the sound of Neville laughing and Harry snickering brought him to his feet.

"What was that for?!" He protested, glaring at his still snickering friend.

Harry shrugged, "I didn't feel like fighting to get you up on the first day." He said said simply. Then he glanced at the still soaking wet bed and mentally grimaced at the thought that he should probably dry it off... no point in making more work for the house-elves. Before he could get too far with those thoughts, though, he jumped when everything suddenly dried.

"I thought you were getting better about that." Neville casually commented as he gathered his things for his own shower, Ron following suit after a moment of staring before he decided he didn't want to ask. He grumbled the whole time though, especially when he saw that his stuff was all over the place. Some of his clothes were on the other side of the room, while his books were scattered among his room-mates nightstands.

"What happened to my stuff?" He asked.

Harry shrugged sheepishly at Neville and said, "Peeves." And really, that was all that needed to be said.

"I'm going to wait down in the common room." He said before he pulled out the baked goods he made at Neville's house and put them on his bed.

When he got down, he wasn't surprised to see Hermione already waiting for them. He was surprised to see the other Weasley boys waiting with her. Ginny was sitting off to the side reading what looked like her potions text.

"You guys waiting for Ron?" He asked the twins. Harry figured they probably wanted to talk to their little brother about the whole car thing. This was getting their parents in legal trouble after all.

The Weasley's all looked at each other. "Actually, we were waiting for you. Can we talk in private? I'm sure Ron will be a little while yet." Percy said.

Harry blinked in surprise, but he nodded. "I'll meet you in the Great Hall, Ok?" He suggested to Hermione. She frowned, but nodded. "And Ron's awake, he just needs to wait for Dean and Seamus to get out of the shower." He added quickly to keep her from impatiently barging up to his room and scaring the other boys. Her lips quirked back up into a smile before she dug a thick book out of her bag to read while she waited.

Once the Weasley boys had led Harry off to an empty classroom, they waited until Percy cast some privacy charms around the place. They didn't want somebody coming by and overhearing something, after all. Since this was Hogwarts, the whole castle would know what part of their conversation was about by the end of the day, and of course, who knows how everybody would fill in the rest of the conversation without knowing the context.

"Alright, we need to know. Do you have a plan for getting rid of Dumbledore?" Percy asked straight up.

Harry blinked. "Sure, right now we're still meeting with the old Potter alliance and patching up relationships there, but yeah, there's a plan in place. Right now, though, we can't make any moves against him because he still has the public on his side. And those who aren't actually on his side are being blackmailed into helping him, or in some form of massive debt to him."

"So, you have to destroy his reputation first." Percy summed. "And free people up from their debts."

Harry nodded. "Right now, Lord Greengrass is working on reversing the laws he passed in my name, and Madam Bones is making plans to slowly leak the criminal file she has on him to the Wizengamot and Rita Skeeter. Obviously, we will have to start with the little things, the ones that make them really question him, especially when they hear the excuses he comes up with to get out of trouble. Then, we'll build up to the big stuff that it won't be so easy to talk his way out of. That way, by the time they get there, they won't have any doubt that he could actually be capable of stuff like that. We also have to go slow since both me and Severus are still in the same castle as him. We don't want him thinking either of us are behind it."

The Weasley boys all nodded, that was very true. Ideas were already running through the Twins minds on how they could help with ruining their dear Headmaster's reputation. "Oh yeah, and what was up with you and the Professor?" Fred asked suddenly. It had honestly been driving all the Weasley's insane trying to figure it out, ever since they saw Harry and the Potions Master together in Diagon Alley, being civil towards each other. Snape SMILED at Harry! Not to mention he was the one to send them to Sharpaxe in the first place.

"He's my godfather." Harry said simply.

And the Weasley's were not expecting that. "Godfather? I thought that was Sirius Black?" Percy asked, confused.

"He is. Apparently, my parents had this huge fight over who my godfather would be. Sirius or Severus. In the end, they compromised and made both of them my godfather." Harry explained with a shrug.

"But nothing was in the wills about it." Fred said, glancing at his Twin.

"Yes, there is. Madam Bones just left those parts out for security purposes. Speaking of, with Dumbledore in the castle and so many of the Death Eaters children here too, Severus and I are going to be acting like nothing changed over the summer. So, don't get upset when he still 'hates' me." He said, making quotation marks with his fingers at the word hate.

The Weasley's blinked at him, but decided not to ask. "We should probably head down to breakfast. Professor McGonagal probably handed out the schedules by now." Percy said after he glanced at his watch.

When they got down to the Great Hall, they found a subdued Ron and Hermione already eating, while Hermione read a book and Neville tried to cheer Ron up by trying to convince him that, yes, Harry made those cookies that Ron helped himself to up in the dorm. For some reason, Ron didn't believe that Harry could bake. Harry wasn't sure if he should feel offended or not when he heard their conversation.

"There you are! Where were you guys?" Ron asked (after his first attempt at speaking with his mouth full) when he noticed Harry and his brothers coming over to sit down.

"There were just a few things we wanted to discuss about the other day." Fred said, he shifted his eyes towards the Head table, or more specifically, Dumbledore. Ron nodded, he got the message.

"Oh, well, tell me about it later then. Here," He gestured towards Neville when the other boy held out a stack of parchments, his mouth was full, but he, unlike Ron, didn't try to talk.

"So, what's got you so down, Ron?" Fred asked.

"You missed the Howler." Neville informed them when Ron scowled and refused to say anything.

"Oh, that's got to be a new record. I don't think anybody has ever gotten a Howler on the first day." Fred said.

"Yeah, and it's not us!" George realized with horror.

"Ron! How could you do this to us?!" The Twins wailed dramatically, catching everybodies attention.

"Shut it." Ron scowled, tossing a piece of toast at each of his brothers. Even Percy, who was trying, and failing, to hide his chuckles. Everyone else nearby laughed, although a few gave Percy strange looks.

The conversation was interrupted with a flood of owls.

"Didn't mail already come?" Harry asked, confused. Especially when he saw Hedwig among them, carrying the same package along with a letter, although she also had an extra with her.

"Yeah, wonder what this is about." Hermione said curiously, putting _Voyages with Vampires_ down to collect her package and letter, giving the owl a piece of bacon.

When she read the letter, her eyes went wide. "This says that all Gilderoy Lockhart books being used as textbooks are being recalled due to possessing false information! Flourish and Blotts apparently has an agreement with the school, if you send in your Lockhart books, they will send you your money back minus the cost of the textbook they just sent us. This one is approved by Professors McGonagall and Snape. If you don't want to send in the Lockhart books, then don't worry about the cost for the other one. The school will take care of it." She summarized for the boys.

They ignored the letter in favor of examining their new book, although Harry smiled when he saw the letter from Sirius.

"Well, I wasn't expecting them to issue a recall." Harry said absently, reading his letter from Sirius. It was good news, if the grin on his face was anything to go by.

"You knew about this?" Hermione demanded. She was slightly hurt and confused. Hurt because she felt like she was missing something and he wasn't telling, and confused about what Harry could have to do with this.

"Sort of. When I was shopping for school, I overheard Snape in Flourish and Blotts, basically, he was telling the shop assistant everything that was wrong with the Lockhart books and why Lockhart was a fraud. He made some good points," Harry 'reluctantly' admitted, "so I didn't even bother to buy them for school. I figured I could just study out of the library or something for that class, you know?" He explained. He had been trying to figure out some excuse for telling everybody why he didn't have the right textbooks, without letting on what he knew and how, and then this just miraculously falls into his lap!

The Weasley boys all raised an eyebrow, they knew Harry hadn't just 'overheard' Snape, Snape was probably the one to tell him not to buy the books in the first place! Why wasn't he telling Hermione what was going on? Unless... her love for authority. Right.

Hermione frowned and started to say something, but Neville cut in, "Hey, we should probably go to class. We have to be in the Greenhouses soon." He had seen how much Harry hated lying to Hermione, and he didn't want to risk her starting an argument that could draw attention to Harry, anything she wanted to argue about could wait until they were somewhere private.

When they got down to the Greenhouses, they noticed that they were the last ones to arrive, a fact that annoyed Hermione to no end, she liked being there first so she could get a good seat where she could easily see what the teacher was demonstrating, and where she could easily be seen when trying to answer a question. Only Professor Sprout had yet to show up.

It didn't take her long though, when she did show up, her arms were full of bandages, and she had Lockhart with her. Harry spotted a giant tree in the distance, with its branches in slings. He figured that must have the tree Ron ran into, glancing over, he saw the guilty look on Ron's face and figured he was right. But, then again, why on earth was a tree like that on school grounds anyway? Sure, Severus told him why it was originally placed there, but Remus Lupin graduated years ago, so why was the tree still here?! Or at least not fenced off or something.

Unlike Professor Sprout, who was squat with a patched hat, and dirt on her clothes and under her fingernails, which in Harry's opinion only increased his respect for her since it was obvious she worked hard and was proud of her work, Lockhart was immaculate. Sweeping turquoise robes with matching hat, shiny golden hair under matching hat with gold trim. His appearance only cemented the fact in Harry's mind that he was a fraud. He was dressed as if expecting the press to show up and start taking pictures of him at any moment, he didn't look like he worked a day in life, let alone did any of the stuff he claimed he did in his books.

Harry had the sneaking suspicion that he didn't know about the book recall yet. He hoped he was around to see his expression when he did find out.

"Oh, hello there!" he called, beaming around at the assembled students. "Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow! But I don't want you running away with the idea that I'm better at Herbology than she is! I just happen to have met several of these exotic plants on my travels..."

"Greenhouse three today, chaps!" said Professor Sprout, who was looking distinctly disgruntled, not at all her usual cheerful self. Which Harry felt was completely understandable, considering she was the Herbology Professor here, and here he was coming in and trying to tell her how to do her own job. Personally, Harry would have probably tried to curse him by now.

There was a murmur of interest. They had only ever worked in greenhouse one before- greenhouse three housed far more interesting and dangerous plants. Professor Sprout took a large key from her belt and unlocked the door. Harry caught a whiff of damp earth and fertilizer mingling with the heavy perfume of some giant, umbrella-sized flowers dangling from the ceiling. He was about to follow Ron, Hermione, and Neville inside when Lockhart's hand shot out.

"Harry! I've been wanting a word- you don't mind if he's a couple of minutes late, do you, Professor Sprout?"

Professor Sprout DID mind, judging by her frown. And so did Harry, for that matter. But Lockhart said, "That's the ticket," and closed the door in her face, pulling Harry away before he could protest.

"Harry," said Lockhart, his large white teeth gleamed in the sunlight when he shook his head like a father would when his son did something wrong that was actually amusing. "Harry, Harry, Harry."

Harry didn't know why he kept saying his name like that, but this guy was weird. He decided he was safest just getting away, so he slowly started inching his way towards the Greenhouse door. He didn't know what to think of Lockhart. On the one hand, the man was a fraud, on the other, he was supposed to be his professor.

Either way, he didn't want to stay outside with this lunatic.

"I've been wanting to meet with you for some time, you know, from one celebrity to another. Then, of course, when I heard what your friend did, flying a car to Hogwarts! Well, I wanted to make sure you didn't start getting ideas of your own. This would have been brilliant publicity, but it's too big! Too much, too soon!" He said, beaming brilliantly at Harry.

Harry absently wondered if Severus would have advice on how to avoid this guy. At least until he was arrested. For now, he just stared dumbly at him for a moment before his brain caught up with what Lockhart was saying. "Oh, no, Professor, see-"

Lockhart interrupted him before he could begin to explain that he wasn't going to be doing publicity stunts, that he didn't want (or need, to be honest) any more attention. "Harry, Harry, Harry." He said. Harry was getting really tired of him saying his name like that, and was just about to make a break for the door when Lockhart's hand landed on his shoulder.

" _I understand_. Natural to want a bit more, why, after all that you are the Boy-Who-Lived! But don't take your friend's example, it's too big! Plenty of time for all that when you are older. Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking! 'It's all right for him, he's an internationally famous wizard already!' But when I was your age, I was just as much of a nobody as you are now. In fact, I was even more of a nobody! I mean, a few people have heard of you, haven't they? All that business with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and then your godfather the other day!"

He glanced at Harry's lightning-bolt scar on Harry's forehead, much to Harry's annoyance (he had hoped it would fade when the soul piece was removed. No luck). "I know, I know- it's not quite as good as winning _Witch Weekly's_ Most-Charming-Smile Award five times in a row, as I have- but it's a _start_ , Harry, it's a _start_. Remember, keep it small!"

With that, he winked conspiratorially and strode off, leaving Harry to stand there, gaping at him while his brain tried to process of Lockhart really said what it thought he said. Then, he turned and finally went into the Greenhouse, figuring that he better find something to do and quick or he might just explode. He did, though, slam the door a little harder then he probably should have in his anger.

Professor Sprout raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't say anything from her spot behind a trestle bench in the center of the Greenhouse. There were about twenty pairs of different-colored earmuffs lying on the bench beside her, making Harry wonder what they were doing. When Harry reached his spot between Ron and Hermione, she said, "We'll be repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who here can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?"

Everyone was surprised when Neville raised his hand along with Hermione. Sure, everyone knew he was the top of their year, probably the whole school in Herbology, but at the same time, he usually preferred to let Hermione deal with answering questions while he just focused on the plants.

* * *

Sirius sighed while he read the contract and started signing where he supposed to. He was making arrangements for a team of Curse-Breakers to go through the Black properties, starting with the Manor in the countryside and then Grimmauld Place. He was paying for Gringotts to purify the objects, (and hoped to have at least one of the houses done in time for Harry to come home for Christmas). He knew that in Grimmauld Place, the chances were the only things not cursed in some way would probably be the kitchenware and dining room sets.

The Manor should be fairly clean... at the very least the cursed objects wouldn't be sitting out in the open like they would be at Grimmauld. The other properties would be fairly clean though, for sure, since they were only vacation houses. He would get the checked out anyway, though.

Besides, the stuff in the vacation homes would mostly just be Dark Magic. The stuff in the main homes would be full of Black Magic.

There was a huge difference between the two. And if he was going to live in either place with Harry, he was getting some Curse-Breakers in there to purify the places. He didn't want his godson/son anywhere near any of that stuff. Well, eventually he might go a little into the Ministry-classified 'Dark Arts' with him, but that would be when he was older. But as far as he was concerned, Harry would never be getting anywhere near the Black Arts. Well, beyond what was necessary should he decide to be an Auror or a Curse-Breaker, something that required knowledge of countering them.

Which reminded him. He couldn't help Harry learn the Potter Family Magicks, he wasn't a Potter. But he would need to start teaching him the Black Family Magicks. Which, surprisingly enough, were actually comprised of very little Black Magic. Despite the fact that the Black Family got their name from their practice of Black Magic.

His Family had a dark history...

He was reading through the business investments, trying to decide which businesses to let go and replace with others more profitable and with more... legal connections, (some of the businesses the Family was invested in either weren't making as much as they used to, or they had connections that he didn't approve of, not to mention what the business itself was. Some of that was the fact he used to be a Hit-Wizard, law-enforcement, and the rest was the fact that he was always the more grey-oriented of the Blacks.) when the door opened.

"Ah, Narcissa, its been a while, has't it?" He said, standing up from the desk Barchoke found for him so he could get paperwork done and have somewhere to put all of it that wasn't his bed. Healer Garnock said it would be good for him to be doing some work, something that was normal, while she treated him. (That, and they all wanted to keep him from being too bored. A bored Sirius Black was a prank-happy Sirius Black.) And if he behaved and made good progress, she might let him wander around the Alley a bit next week. With an escort, of course. See how he did in large crowds after so long being isolated in a small cell.

"Yes, it has. You are looking much better than I expected, My Lord." Narcissa said, giving a small curtsy, as was proper for a daughter of the House to greet their Lord.

Sirius shrugged, "People can say all they like about goblin intelligence, doesn't change the fact that they are brilliant and good at what they do. Sit." He gestured for her to take the chair while he sat on the edge of his bed. "Now, I asked to speak with you, because I honestly don't know what to do with you. I've already started the paperwork with the Ministry to officially welcome Andromeda back to the Family, and kick Bellatrix out. Of course, I need to get into the Manor and the Family ritual rooms to actually do it, but I just don't know what to do with you."

Narcissa said nothing, just bit her lip and looked down at her lap. She knew where his problem was coming from.

Sirius continued. "On the one hand, you were my favorite cousin. You and Reg were the only ones not to call me a traitor when I was Sorted into Gryffindor." And even Reg 'left' in the end when he became a Death Eater himself. "Even Andy did, until she fell in love with Ted anyway. But, on the other hand, there is your Death Eater husband."

Narcissa frowned. She remembered those days well. After she got married, Sirius met up with her to congratulate her on her marriage, as arranged as it was, and to tell her to be careful. They both knew, even back then, exactly how far Lucius was in Voldemort's circle. They also knew the rumors about how Abraxus Malfoy treated his wife, Lucius' mother. He was worried that Lucius would be the same way with her. But, Lucius had been very sweet, and a gentleman during the courting phase of their betrothal, so she had taken his concerns and threw them back in his face.

Eventually, when he kept pressing, she turned on him, some of the things she said would have made his mother Walburga very proud of her for finally saying to her traitorous son.

Now, she knew Lucius well enough to know that his fears were very much founded, and very much a reality. The only reason he wasn't physically abusive was because she made it very clear very early in her marriage to him that she was a Black and would not be treated that way. She did regret not taking more of a hand in her sons pre-Hogwarts education though.

Sirius continued when she didn't say anything. "I've been asking around. It sounds like you've never been a loyal Death Eater, merely the wife of one. Your son Draco, on the other hand, it sounds like he has been raised with all the entitlement Malfoy's seem to think they deserve just for existing, despite their low status." As a Noble House, the Malfoy's were fairly low on the influential totem pole. All they had was money. The only reason Lucius was as politically powerful as he was, was because of his marriage to Narcissa, a daughter of house Black. "Why is that?" He asked mildly. He may have been a rebellious teenager, but he was still a Black.

Born a Black, and raised one too. He just tended to question his parent's teachings when it came to Muggleborns and Black Magic use a little more then his cousins and brother did. Meaning he actually questioned them and made his own decisions about them.

Finally, Narcissa sighed, and spoke. "You were right, Sirius," The words left a bitter taste in her mouth. She was proud, and did not like admitting when she was wrong. "About Lucius. The only reason he doesn't hit me is because I made it clear as soon as I realized how he was going to be, that I am a Black and will not let myself be treated that way. But he is every bit as unfaithful as you said he would be. He adores Draco, though. I let him raise Draco how he wanted to, partially because I was afraid that he would forget my heritage if I didn't. I know, that as a daughter of House Black, I failed in teaching my son." She said, not daring to look at Sirius.

Her normally laid-back and fun loving cousin, now looking and acting every bit the Lord of a Most Ancient and Noble House. She was just glad that she refused to let Lucius have access to her personal Black vault. Since that vault received a substantial monthly allowance still from the main Family vaults... that would have been like handing over the entire Black fortune to him.

He watched her for a minute, before he nodded, it seemed he found whatever he was looking for. "I will deal with Lucius later. For now, I will give you one chance. You have until Draco's fifteenth birthday to retrain him, and get him behaving like a proper Son of House Black. I would just give you the standard one year, but I realize that you aren't even going to be seeing him for most of that year while he is in school."

Narcissa finally looked at him, and he could see the disbelief and gratitude warring for dominance in her eyes.

"Thank you, Sirius, I will write him and tell him how I expect him to act from now, hopefully Severus will agree to keep an eye on him for me... and his retraining will start over Christmas break." She said with a genuine smile, one rarely seen by anyone other than her son in private. Sirius grinned back, and just like that, the Black Lord was gone, replaced by her fun loving cousin again.

"Now, tell me what I've missed over the years in your life. It can't all have been spent being a dutiful Pureblood wife." He said with a mischievous grin, one matched by Narcissa.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Gobbledygook**_

 _"Thank you, Sirius, I will write him and tell him how I expect him to act from now, hopefully Severus will agree to keep an eye on him for me... and his retraining will start over Christmas break." She said with a genuine smile, one rarely seen by anyone other than her son in private. Sirius grinned back, and just like that, the Black Lord was gone, replaced by her fun loving cousin again._

 _"Now, tell me what I've missed over the years in your life. It can't all have been spent being a dutiful Pureblood wife." He said with a mischievous grin, one matched by Narcissa._

After lunch, Harry discovered that he really, really hated camera's. And fan-boys. But, what he hated the most, was a camera, in the hands of a fan-boy.

He hated them, and, while this would die down eventually, at the moment, his hatred for them ranked right up there with his hatred for Dumbledore.

Especially when said fanboy with a camera asked for his autograph (rather loudly) within earshot of both Malfoy and Lockhart. So, here he was, trapped against Lockhart's side while the man made his way through the halls. He could really kill Colin Creevy right now.

When they finally made it to the Defense classroom, with Harry struggling the whole way, Lockhart finally released him and Harry went to the desk farthest from the front and set about stacking books up in front of him so he didn't have to look at Lockhart. He loved that his bag could hold so many books, it came in handy at the moment.

When the rest of the class finally came in, (with Hermione looking torn between pity, amusement, and jealousy and Ron with a sympathetic look in his eyes) Harry could tell right away that they were the first class of the day for him. Either that, or they were just the first class he had that day that actually had a chance to visit the Owlery, and it was clear none of them mentioned the recall if that was the case.

Because the first thing he did after introducing himself was to ask if they all had his books. And, of course, only Hermione hadn't sent hers in... yet.

"There was a recall on the books, we just got the letter this morning, along with the book Professors Snape and McGonagall chose for us." Hermione said hesitantly, raising her hand. Lockhart turned to her and blinked, he looked lost for a moment, and Harry thought his features looked rather weak and wobbly without his blinding smile.

Then, the smile was back, looking a mix between hopeful, confident, and nervous. "Ah, but of course, you still have the books I assigned, right? You wouldn't just send them in?" His smile dimmed when the entire class started looking around at each other before everyone, except Harry (he never bought them to begin with) and Hermione, confirmed that they mailed their books back not an hour ago. Again, he looked lost.

Finally, he blinked and reached for a stack of parchments by his desk, plastering a smile back on his face and forcing some cheer back to his voice. "Not to worry," he said, "I will speak with Minerva and... Severus," he shuddered slightly, and Harry had a feeling his godfather did something to him... and he wanted to know what."I will also write to Flourish and Blotts, I'm sure this is all a terrible misunderstanding." He assured as he started to hand out the papers. Harry scowled when he saw Hermione looked relieved.

He'd been hoping the letter earlier would shake some of her belief in authority and books.

"Now, this is just a little quiz, just to see how much you've read from my books. Don't worry, it won't be graded, it is just for me to see." He said cheerfully when he noticed the students disgruntled looks. They did not appreciate a quiz the first day. "You have half an hour, begin!" After letting them start, he went back to his desk and pulled some parchment and a very ugly looking quill and started writing. Harry suspected it to be a letter to Flourish and Blotts. Probably about the recall.

Harry looked at the quiz on his desk and almost gagged in disgust. The first question was...

1\. _What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?_

2\. _What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?_

3\. _What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's achievement to date?_

... the questions finally ended with,

54\. _When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday, and what would his ideal gift be?_

If this was the kind of quiz he could come up with over how well they read the books, then he was very glad he didn't waste money on them. It also didn't fill him with a whole lot of enthusiasm with the rest of the year with Lockhart as the teacher. And looking around the room, he wasn't the only one. Especially among the guys.

When the half hour was up, Lockhart set his letter to the side and collected the papers to rifle through them. "Tut, tut- hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. I say so in _Year with the Yeti._ And a few of you need to read _Wandering with Werewolves_ more carefully... once I get you your books back anyway... I clearly stated in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic peoples- although I wouldn't say no to a large bottle of Ogden's Old Firewiskey!"

Harry frowned when he mentioned harmony between magicals and Muggles. From what he read during his lessons on wizarding politics and law, Muggle-baiting and the like, while illegal, wasn't exactly punished in Britain unless the Statute of Secrecy was put in jeopardy. Otherwise nobody cared. Besides, there were the witch hunts to consider...

Lockhart gave them another roguish wink. Ron was now staring at him in disbelief; Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, sitting in the front row, were shaking with laughter. Harry noticed all the boys were in various stages of copying the three Gryffindors, while the girls seemed to be bordering on being unsure, and fangirling on him. Hermione was the only one who was listening with rapt attention, and she started when he mentioned her name.

"... but Miss Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care products-" Harry snorted. Everyone knew the Potter family currently owned the market on hair products. With their hair, how could they not? "-good girl! In fact," -he flipped her paper over- "full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger?"

Hermione raised a trembling hand and Harry and Ron both mentally groaned. This was going to take a while.

"Excellent!" beamed Lockhart. "Quite excellent! Take ten points for Gryffindor! And so- to business-" Harry pouted when Lockhart didn't mention his paper. Or even appear to have read it. He had made sure to be as sarcastically insulting as he possibly could, after all. He patted his bag with the copy that he'd discreetly made of his finished quiz before Lockhart collected them all. At least Severus would get a laugh out of it. After he ranted for a while about how useless Lockhart was.

At the front, Lockhart had taken out a large, covered cage from behind his desk. Harry looked at it warily. This couldn't be good...

"Now- be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizard-kind!" Harry frowned, he could have sworn Severus told him that they didn't learn about Dark Creatures until third year... "You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm."

In spite of himself, Harry leaned around his pile of books in curiosity for a better look at the cage. Lockhart placed a hand on the cover. Dean and Seamus had stopped laughing, and they along with Neville leaned away from the cage warily.

"I must ask you not to scream," Lockhart said in a low voice. "It might provoke them!" As the class held its breath, Lockhart whipped off the cover.

"Yes," he said (too) dramatically. " _Freshly caught Cornish pixies._ " The silence was broken by Seamus' snort of laughter that not even Lockhart could mistake for a scream of terror.

"Yes?" He smiled at Seamus.

"Well, they're not- they're not very _dangerous_ are they?" Seamus choked. Harry frowned and pulled out his wand. He had a bad feeling about this... although he did agree that they didn't _look_ very dangerous... but appearances could be deceiving.

"Don't be so sure!" said Lockhart, waggling a finger annoyingly at Seamus. "Devilish tricky little blighters they can be!" Now Harry's bad feeling was getting stronger and stronger... especially the more he watched the pixies.

The pixies were electric blue and about eight inches tall, with pointed faces and shrill voices, it was almost like listening to a lot of budgies arguing. They had started jabbering and rocketing around, rattling the bars and making odd faces at the closest people as soon as their cage was uncovered. Harry really hoped Lockhart wasn't about to do something stupid, like...

"Right, then," Lockhart said loudly. "Let's see what you make of them!" and he opened the cage.

...that. Exactly like that.

It was pandemonium. The pixies shot in every direction like rockets. Two of them tried to sieze Neville by the ears and lift him into the air, but his magic reacted and the two creatures were blown off of him, landing unconscious on the ground. Several shot straight through the window, showering the back row with broken glass. The rest proceeded to wreck the classroom more effectively than a rampaging rhino. They grabbed ink bottles and sprayed the class with them, shredded books (thank goodness for Mipsy charming his stuff against damage) and papers, tore pictures from the walls, up-ended the waste basket, they even grabbed bags and books (good thing Neville and Harry grabbed theirs before the cage was opened) and threw them all out the window... it didn't take long for half the class to be sheltering under desks and for Neville to make his way to the back of the room by Harry.

Both of them were reluctant to use magic on the pixies, they didn't want them to blow up after all, or accidentally hit a classmate. Harry's control was better, but he still had problems, as evidenced by the overpowered water spell that morning. That, and Lockhart was useless, so he wouldn't be able to reverse what they did.

"Come on now- round them up, round them up, they're only pixies," Lockhart shouted. He rolled up his sleeves, brandished his wand, and bellowed, " _Peskipiksi Pesternomi_!"

Predictably, it had absolutely no affect; one of the pixies seized his wand and threw it out the window, too. Lockhart gulped and dived under his own desk, barely avoiding the falling chandelier that one of the pixies finally succeeded in loosening.

The bell rang and there was a mad dash for the door. In the relative calm that followed, Lockhart straightened up, noticed Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville at the back of the crowd, and said, "Well, I'll ask you four to just nip the rest of them back into their cage." He swept past them and shut the door quickly behind him before they could escape.

"Can you _believe_ him?" roared Ron as one of the remaining pixies bit him on the ear.

"He just want to give us some hands-on experience," Hermione said, immobilizing two pixies at one with a Freezing Charm and stuffing them back into their cage.

" _Hands on_?" Harry asked incredulously, as he tried to grab a pixies dancing out of reach with its tongue sticking out. He still didn't want to risk magic on them. Yeah, they were extremely annoying, but this was their nature. And it wasn't their fault they were here. "Hermione, he didn't have a clue what he was doing-"

"Rubbish," Hermione replied. "You've read his books-" she seemed to have forgotten that Harry hadn't even bought them, "look at all those amazing things he's done-"

"He _says_ he's done," Ron muttered.

"Yeah, have you already forgotten the recall? Didn't the letter say it was for false information?" Neville asked as he took a book and swatted at a pixie.

"But he said it was a misunderstanding!" She protested.

"Of course he did, he makes money selling those things! If there is a recall, nobody is going to buy or sell his books anymore!" Harry said, he was starting to get annoyed with her now.

Unsurprisingly, Hermione had no answer for that.

* * *

Amelia Bones sat in her office, going over paperwork. She had just finished sending out copies of the list of laws proposed and pushed through by Dumbledore, along with a few that they suspected Dumbledore to have been involved with, as per Harry and Daniel's request.

If he hadn't been the Potter proxy illegally, they wouldn't have ever had a chance of getting these laws looked into like this. They would be looked over again, and put to a vote again. This time, with everyone on the Wizengamot actually belonging on the Wizengamot, so if they passed, they would actually pass legally. As of now, the laws themselves were illegal and any actions taken since they were passed to uphold those laws, was also illegal. Which meant, if they didn't get re-passed, she would have to go through the case records and possibly bring disciplinary action down on some of her Aurors. She wouldn't punish them harshly, at worst it would be simply paying families compensation or something. After all, they were only doing their jobs and upholding the law as it they knew it to be.

Sadly, this meant that about ninety percent of the laws put in place since James and Lily died over a decade ago, were now being called into question.

No wonder Magical Britain was going to the dogs.

At least Dumbledore never showed any interest in taking over the proxy for the Potter families seats on the Muggle House of Lords. Sure, the Potters weren't nearly as influential in the Muggle world as they were in the Wizarding, but Dumbledore was a smooth talker when he wanted something bad enough. He could have easily taken over the Muggle government given enough time.

Now, she was going over the monthly budget, which had taken yet another cut, when she heard yelling from out in the Pit. "What in Merlins name...?" She muttered. When she opened the door, she was somehow not surprised to see Dumbledore there, she had been expecting a visit from him since the last Wizengamot session. What she was surprised to see, was all her Aurors standing in lines, with their wands drawn, preventing him from coming any further inside.

It took her a minute to remember that when she posted the list of laws that were now in question to all her Aurors, she 'accidentally' left a copy of this months budget, cuts and all, among the papers. And those papers were now on every Aurors desk. Since she knew several of her Aurors had a habit of dropping everything they were doing to read her notices and the like, she figured that once they found the copy of the budget, they must have spread the word. Because it seemed like every Auror knew about it, even those that she knew usually saved her notices for later, when they weren't working a case or when they went home where they could have a chance to study it in more detail.

Another interesting thing about the budget cut lists, they always included the name of the one who originally proposed the cuts. And, of course, they were always signed by the Minister and Chief Warlock. Which meant Dumbledore's name, was on there twice. Both as the one to make the proposal, and as the Chief Warlock.

A fact that the entire Department of Magical Law Enforcement now knew.

Oops.

Deciding to play ignorant for now, she quickly made her way between her ranks, feeling very proud of them as she did so, and Dumbledore. She pointed randomly to one of her Seniors, Kingsley, and demanded to know what was going on. Wordlessly, he summoned his copy of the budget cut and handed it over.

"Albus Dumbledore is no longer welcome in this office. If he really thinks us so useless that he won't fund us, then I don't see why he has any business being here." Moody said, clomping over from his spot in the corner. Amelia blinked. She hadn't even seen him there. Dumbledore, too, looked surprised, and even a bit betrayed. He obviously hadn't been expecting one of his oldest friends to go against him like that.

Acting confused, Amelia glanced at the paper Kingsley handed her, even though she already knew what it must be. "Oh, I'm sorry, this must have gotten mixed in with the list of Laws I handed out. You know, the ones being called into question for being illegally passed and being put up for a re-vote. I know the budget is supposed to be for my eyes only, by order of the Chief Warlock no less!" She could tell that none of the Aurors bought her act, good, if the smirks spreading across their faces said anything.

"But," she continued, "I suppose its a good thing your here, saves me from tracking you down, again. Because now I can remind you, again, that this is the Department of Magical LAW ENFORCEMENT. Which means, we enforce the law. How do you expect us to do that properly, without the proper funds. Funds for training, to pay my men's salary, to pay for new recruits, new uniforms, hospital bills when one of my men gets injured on the job, detection equipment, etc. etc. As you can see, this department has a lot to pay for it you want YOUR laws enforced, not that they will be YOUR laws for much longer mind..." She looked behind her at her men. "If you ever call for the Aurors, I can't promise any of them coming to YOUR aid." She finished.

Of course, if it were Hogwarts that called, they would still answer no problem. As long as Albus Dumbledore wasn't the one making the Floo call.

Dumbledore snarled and seemed to forget where he was and the fact that he was still being held at wand point by over fifty well trained Aurors. Aurors who used to trust him. He pulled his own wand and was about to curse Amelia with the worst he knew when he suddenly found himself frozen in place, disarmed, and silenced. The Auror who disarmed him came forward holding it tightly in his hand, looking confused and worried about something.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"When I caught his wand, I felt it make the connection." Dawlish said.

She frowned, "Odd, I've never heard of a wand switching allegiance so easily like that. Well, except for one... but that wand is supposed to be a myth... we'll have to go and consult Ollivander later. If it is what I suspect, then we may have to involve Gringotts as well." She told him, then she turned to Dumbledore.

"You know, you just tried to attack the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in front of her own Aurors, in her own offices. Seeing as how you are the Chief Warlock, that is not enough for me to arrest you... yet. But, it does give me enough cause to open up an investigation. So, consider yourself being investigated. Also, consider yourself on probation. If I learn of any other incidents like this, you will be arrested and thrown in a cell faster than you can blink. I would confiscate your wand, but its just chosen a new owner. The standard ten Galleon compensation fee will be in your vault by the end of the day so you can get yourself a new one if you need." She motioned Moody and several other Aurors over.

"As of now, Mr. Dumbledore, you are hereby restricted access to the Ministry of Magic. You can no longer come and go. You are only allowed in the building for Wizengamot sessions, or if you have received an official summons from either myself or the Minister. These gentlemen will escort you to the nearest Floo. Good day." She said, and turned to her Aurors still standing behind her, many of them trying not to laugh as they watched the great Albus Dumbledore being slapped in magic-restraining cuffs and dragged away, yelling.

She turned to Kingsley, "I want the standard procedure on this wand. Priori Incantantum, the works. Dawlish, don't forget to go to Gringotts later and take care of Mr. Dumbledore's compensation." She turned to one of her older trainees, "Tonks, you are in charge of the official report on this, see Kingsley later for the wand-work and to get it checked over for mistakes." Tonks nodded once, then scurried over to the desk she shared with Moody, her main trainer, to start writing. Amelia noticed that her usually vibrant pink hair was now a mousy brown. Usually a sign that she was extremely bothered by something.

She didn't even have to wonder, she knew Tonks had practically worshiped Dumbledore. He was her inspiration for joining the Auror Corps in the first place.

Amelia, on the other hand, was over the moon. Especially when she noticed the Daily Prophet reporter in the room. They were usually hanging around, getting information on the various ongoing cases that the public should be made aware of for their own safety, naturally the details of such cases were classified while the investigations were ongoing, but they could at least get general information. She needed to owl Sharpaxe and Griphook with this latest development, and warn Severus and Harry. This could speed up their plans, now that Dumbledore was officially under investigation and his access to the Ministry restricted. Something witnessed by over fifty Aurors and one reporter! This was great!

She went over to Kingsleys desk, where he was just finishing up with Dawlish's new wand. "Don't forget, Tonks is writing up the official report, Dawlish, we're going to Ollivanders. I would rather do this now." She said. He nodded and got up, grabbing the wand, as soon as Kingsley said they were done. On there way out, Amelia turned to Kingsley, "Oh, and Shack? There is a folder on my desk, the extremely thick one. I think you will find it... beneficial to starting the investigation into one Albus Dumbledore. Oh, and if you would be so kind as to get the memos sent out that Dumbledore is restricted access, that would be great too." She said with a smirk. Kingsley looked worried, but nodded.

When they got to the Atrium, Amelia wasn't surprised to see people watching them and whispering. Dumbledore had, after all, just been dragged through here just moments ago by several of her Aurors, who knows what they heard Dumbledore yelling on his way out.

* * *

"Ah, Madam Bones, Auror Dawlish, do you need a wand identified?" Ollivander asked when he saw Amelia walk in with one of her Aurors close by. It was a fair guess, considering he was sometimes asked to do that. With his legendary memory for wands, as well as the fact that he provided ninety percent of all Wizarding British citizens with their wands, he was the man to go to when they had a wand and wanted to know who it belonged to. Of course, there were the times when he didn't make it, so he couldn't help them there.

"Sort of, Garrick. We already know who it belonged to, although it has now changed its allegiance." She explained what happened, although she left out her suspicions on what the wand was. Dawlish added in with what exactly it felt like when he caught the wand.

Ollivander looked thoughtful before he asked to see it. When he held it, he looked amazed. "I never thought I would see this wand... last any historian traced it, Gregorovitch had it, but his shop was broken into not long after he claimed to have it, and the wand stolen." He said, holding it reverently.

"What's so special about this wand?" Dawlish asked, while Amelia had a feeling she had been right.

"You, of course, know the Tale of the Three Brothers?" Ollivander asked. When Dawlish nodded, confused, he continued. "But what you don't know, what few people know and believe, is that the story is true. Oh, of course details have been added and embellished over the centuries depending on who was telling the tale at the time, but the basic facts, are true. Three brothers, historians tell us they were the Peverell brothers, gained three powerful magic objects. The Cloak of Invisibility, the Resurrection Stone, and the Elder Wand." He said, holding up the wand in his hand. "Of course, the only way we can ever know just how they got these objects, is if their descendants come forward with any personal journals they may have had." He finished.

"The Elder Wand? That's real?" Dawlish asked.

Ollivander nodded. "Yes... although I must warn you. Historians and wand-lore masters have theorized that the wand will only be truly loyal to one of the Peverell bloodline. Oh, it will give it's allegiance to anybody," He said quickly when he saw the confused look on his audience's faces. "But it's true loyalties, will always lay with its creator's bloodline. This is the theory because as little as wand-makers have been able to study it before it has been stolen and disappeared again, it is made out the wood of an Elder Tree, and a Thestral feather, dipped in Thestral blood. Now, the Elder wood is extremely favors loyalty above all else, while the Thestral, can only bond with one wizard in its life. Of course, not many do form a bond since Thestral's are thought of so poorly in Britain. Once that bond is made, it is unbreakable. But, that bond can also be transferred to that wizards blood. His family. Not to quite the same extent as the original wizard, mind. And, just holding it, I can confirm what its made of." Ollivander said, running his wand hand over the wand, feeling with his magic what it was made of.

"So, that could be considered a lost family heirloom?" Dawlish asked, glancing at his boss really quick.

"It could be." Ollivander said with a shrug. "You would have to visit the Goblins to know for sure. Are you sure you would want to give something like this up?" Ollivander asked carefully. No matter what the man decided, it was none of his business, he just wanted to be sure. This wand had a long, bloody history, after all. Not that it was the wands fault, it was the idiots who had it in their possession that couldn't keep quiet about it, and it was those greedy enough to kill for it.

Dawlish looked at it for a moment, before pulling out his own wand, his original. "Nah, I've been doing pretty well with my own wand. I don't need some 'unbeatable wand' to do my job and be good at it." He said after a few moments. "Besides, if it will only give it's true loyalties to a Peverell descendant, I don't want to risk being on a case, it suddenly recognizing one of those descendants, and suddenly stop working for me when I need it the most." He added.

"In that case, I think we should take it to Gringotts. They will see to it that it gets put in the correct vault and the owners of that vault notified. We should go there anyway so you can get ten Galleons transferred to Dumbledore's vault. Might as well do it while we are here, and I need to speak with some of them anyway." Amelia said.

"Does that have anything to do with the file you told Kingsley to get off your desk?" Dawlish asked her after they thanked Ollivander for his help and stepped back out into the sunshine. All he got was a smirk.

* * *

Dumbledore was fuming.

First, Potter is taken from his house by an unknown party. He claimed it was his families elf, but... there was no way such a useless creature managed to get past the blocks he placed to keep her from finding her master.

Then, the Potter Heirlooms he took from the vault disappeared. Including the Grimiore. Oh, how he wanted to get his hands on that kind of magic, he would have truly been unstoppable.

Then, after a nice conference where he reminded everyone that he was Albus Dumbledore and he knew best (they were probably laughing at him the whole time because they all thought he was an idiot), he comes back to find that the Potter Wills had been read! He lost the proxy seat, the brat got his godfather back, and now he knew of his inheritance. Luckily, any independence he had managed to gain was now squashed by the potions.

But, oh, the Howlers. He had managed to destroy all but one. That one just. Would. Not. BURN. If he ever managed to find out who sent that one, they were going to die. It was as simple as that.

And then, of course, the brat didn't fly in the car with the youngest Weasley brat. They were supposed to come together in the car, so he could come, be the hero, and get them out of trouble (not really, but hey, it would have been a nice illusion to give them).

And now, his access to the Ministry was restricted, and he was under official investigation. Of course, he doubted they would actually keep him out of the Ministry, he was Albus Dumbledore! They wouldn't do that to him, he was their hero! And it would just take a bit of gold to get the investigation lifted, or at least redirected. He just had to find out who Amelia gave the case to. He would just give it a couple of days to let things at the Ministry calm down. It wouldn't do to be hasty and make things worse for himself.

Although, the worst part of it all, was that he lost his wand! He, Albus Dumbledore, lost the Elder Wand to some stupid no-name Auror! But wait, they were going to go to Ollivanders with it... the Auror certainly wouldn't give something like that up willingly, he would just have to send somebody to... persuade the Auror to give it back. Until then... he better search his old house for his original wand... if he even bothered to keep it after winning the Elder Wand from Gellert.

Hmm... he should make another visit to his old friend... See if Gellert might not be willing to cooperate with Dumbledore's methods and plans this time... hopefully. He did miss his old friend. He had tried to tell Gellert before he started the war, that fear wasn't the best method to rule by. No, the best way to rule was to make them adore and worship you, only then can you manipulate things in your favor. It was the slow way to get things done, but it was the... less risky way. Less risk of rebellion and people fighting back.

The problem Gellert had, was that he was too impatient. So, he 'dueled' him, and at the end, he locked him up inside the prison they built to cool down and learn patience. Meanwhile, he, Albus, would take care of getting the world back to how it should be. Once things were ready, and Gellert was willing to play by his methods... then he would let his friend go free again. And things were almost ready... there was just a small hitch in the plan... a hitch named Amelia Bones.

Luckily, the Potter brat had been brought to heel, now to take Bones out of the game... but how to do that without getting caught...

Sitting on his perch, Fawkes narrowed his eyes and started planning how to get word to Amelia Bones and her Auror and warn them.

* * *

"I need to see the Goblin in charge of the Peverell accounts, please? It's regarding a possible missing family heirloom that just came in our possession." Amelia said to the Goblin at the desk. "And, afterwards I need to see Sharpaxe about our project."

Dawlish blinked at her, confused, but decided not to say anything when it was obvious that the Goblins nearby knew exactly what he was talking about. The project, just so happened to be the unofficial investigation she'd been running on Dumbledore with the goblins assistance. Of course, it was only recently that Severus brought a few things to their attention, that they managed to uncover a few accounts that somehow drained into Dumbledore's vault without anybody realizing it.

"Alright, I will let Sharpaxe know you wish to see him later, and I will find out who manages the Peverell accounts. Wait here." The Goblin said before he left his desk to go find out who they needed to see.

It took almost ten minutes before the Goblin returned. And only the fact that Amelia had been working with Sharpaxe and Griphook for so long let her see the amusement on his face. "Sharpaxe will see you now." He said, and gestured for them to follow. Amelia was confused, was it taking them a while to figure out who had the Peverell vaults? She knew that vaults tended to be merged together when families merged or married out.

In Sharpaxe's office, she was surprised to see Griphook there. She bowed slightly at the waist, "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. Although I was not expecting it until our other business at the bank was concluded." She said.

Sharpaxe raised an eyebrow. "It just so happens, Madam Bones, that I am the one who is in charge of the Family account that includes the Peverell vaults." He said.

Amelia stared at him for a moment, "Well, that is one mystery solved, I guess." She muttered. "Not to worry, this knowledge will not leave the office, will it Dawlish?" She asked her Auror lightly. Dawlish could hear the order and slight threat in her words though.

"No, ma'am. I quite like my job." He said. He had read the plaque loud and clear, and he already knew that Sharpaxe was the Goblin in charge of the Potter accounts. If you asked him, though, this was only further proof of the proud legacy of the Potter family.

"Well, I guess this means we can do both at once, since I won't have to deal with two separate Goblins. Earlier today, Dumbledore came into the Auror office to see me. However, when I handed out the latest notices and copies of laws that are being put up for a re-vote, I must have... accidentally, included the latest list of budget cuts." She could tell that nobody believed that she did anything accidentally. "And the list just so happened to have Dumbledore's name on it as the one responsible. So, my Auror's weren't letting him in. When I went to find out what was going on, and remind him that we need funds to do our jobs, he attacked." Griphook and Sharpaxe grinned ferally. "As such, I have opened an official investigation, and restricted his access to the Ministry. However, during the attack, one of my Auror's disarmed him. Upon catching the wand, the wand immediately switched its allegiance to him." She gestured to Dawlish, who put the wand on the table.

"We have just come from Ollivanders, where he tells us that this is the Elder Wand, and that it is a lost Peverell heirloom." She finished.

Sharpaxe hummed, and picked up the wand. Dawlish tensed, it was against the law for any magical creature to be in possession of a wand, but Amelia put a hand on his arm and just let Sharpaxe be. After examining it for a moment, he got up to retrieve a file from one of the cabinets in the corner. It took him a minute to flip through it before he found what he was looking for. "Hmm, yes, this is on the list as being a missing Heirloom. It is also the first Heirloom since the Potters created their Blood Magic to have been recovered." He looked at Dawlish. "Are you returning this?"

"I am."

Sharpaxe nodded. "Alright then, there is a standing award on file for anyone who returns a missing Heirloom. 500,000 Galleons will be added to your vault. And we will withdraw and deposit ten Galleons into Dumbledore's vault for the standard compensation relating to loss of a wand." He said with a nod.

"500,000 Galleons? What?" Dawlish asked, with his jaw dropped.

"The Family likes its Heirlooms, they are very protective of them. Especially Heirlooms that contain or have been made with the Families magic in mind. Therefore, they pay very well in gratitude when one of those Heirlooms has been returned. It is why all possessions of the Family today has the Family Blood Magic used on them, so that if they go missing or are stolen, the Family can easily and quickly get them back. They did not want to run the risk of somebody examining an object made by them and... how do the Muggles put it... reverse engineer, how it was done. They were a very secretive Family." Sharpaxe explained.

Dawlish blinked. "Yeah, I'm beginning to see that."

Sharpaxe nodded again, and made some notes on a piece of parchment while Griphook finally spoke up.

"Now that Dumbledore has gotten himself in trouble officially, we need to discuss how we are going to go from here and how much of our plans we need to move up." He said, and both Goblins and Amelia smirked ferally. Dawlish barely had time to wonder what he got himself dragged into this time, before they started plotting and scheming.


	18. Chapter 18

**_Gobbledygook_**

 _Sharpaxe nodded again, and made some notes on a piece of parchment while Griphook finally spoke up._

 _"Now that Dumbledore has gotten himself in trouble officially, we need to discuss how we are going to go from here and how much of our plans we need to move up." He said, and both Goblins and Amelia smirked ferally. Dawlish barely had time to wonder what he got himself dragged into this time, before they started plotting and scheming._

Harry leaned against the wall outside Potions, listening to the chatter about what just happened and trying to plan out how he was going to 'earn' his first detention of the year. Shouldn't be too difficult, considering Severus's mask. Of course, he was also thinking of the newspaper article delivered at breakfast, and how perfect it was for their plans. They hadn't even had to do anything, Dumbledore did it all on his own.

 _It was Dean's turn to wake up Ron, so they were running a little late. Dean had always had the most trouble waking Ron up, for some reason. Harry always had the easiest time, but the trick was getting Harry himself in time for him to have to get Ron up. And it was rare that that even happened. By the time they walked into the Great Hall, the mail was already being delivered._

 _Harry thanked Hedwig when she flew over to him carrying a package and letter from Sirius, as well as a newspaper. When he looked confused at the newspaper, Hedwig shared the memory of when Sirius gave her a letter to take to the_ Daily Prophet _reminding them that as majority owners in the paper, they got a free paper morning and evening. Harry nodded and walked to his seat with her perched on his shoulder. The package and letter both disappeared in the pouch he kept tied to his belt, he'd look at them later, in private._

 _When he got to the table, Harry held Hedwig off the bacon long enough to make sure everyone nearby had what they wanted, then he let her attack what was left on that platter. He then ignored the people slowly moving away from the bacon-crazed owl sitting in the middle of the table happily devouring a plate of bacon. Only stopping long enough for her wizard to give her a potion._

 _By now, the Gryffindor's watching Hedwig noticed that the Hall fell completely silent. Said Gryffindor's quickly grabbed their own newspapers after noticing what held the rest of the Halls attention._

 **Albus Dumbledore Attacks Head of DMLE in Auror Offices! Banned from the Ministry!**

 **Dumbledore Responsible for DMLE Budget Cuts, not the Minister?**

 **By: Jane Smith (edited by: Rita Skeeter)**

Yesterday, this reporter was in the Auror office, getting more details of the incident with the flying car the other night (for further details, see page 3). However, what was witnessed was much more important and... disturbing.

Headmaster, Chief Warlock, and Supreme Mugwump Albus Dumbledore entered the office, only to find himself at held at wandpoint by every Auror in the room. On hearing the commotion, Madam Amelia Bones left her office to see what was going on. Right after Madam Bones came out to investigate, one Auror said, ' _Albus Dumbledore is no longer welcome in this office. If he really thinks us so useless that he won't fund us, then I don't see why he has any business being here._ ' Upon confronting another one of her Aurors, a sheet of parchment was summoned and handed over. Upon examining it, Madam Bones realized she must have accidentally included the months budget report, complete with a list of cuts the department was once again facing and who on the budget committee recommended those cuts, when she handed out the list of laws currently on the table for discussion and a revote. For further details, see page 3.

After Madam Bones apologized for leaving that in there and informed him that he should not count on Auror aid in the future, she then 'politely reminded' Mr. Dumbledore that the DMLE cannot do their jobs properly without the proper funding needed for training, new recruits, paying the Aurors they already employed, equipment, etc. At the end of her reminder, Albus Dumbledore then pulled his wand on her and attempted to curse her!

You read that right, our beloved Albus Dumbledore tried to curse the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement right in front of her own Aurors and this reporter.

Before Mr. Dumbledore could cast the first curse, however, he was hit with several Body-Binds, Incarcurus, and one disarming charm.

Mr. Dumbledore was then escorted out of the Ministry after being informed that, because he attacked a Law-Enforcement official, the Head Official to be exact, in her own offices, he should have been arrested on the spot, were it not for his status as the Chief Warlock. A policy that Mr. Dumbledore himself put into place, and a policy that is now under review. For a more detailed list of what laws are under review see page 6. For more details about this policy, see page 3.

However, because he is the Chief Warlock, and they cannot arrest him, he will be under an official investigation. It was also made clear that because of his attack on a Ministry official, within the Ministry building, his access to the Ministry was to be restricted to official Chief Warlock duties, trials requiring his presence and Wizengamot sessions, or meetings with the Minister or Madam Bones herself when they specifically summon him. Otherwise, he is not to step foot in the Ministry.

And if he's not truly responsible for the budget cuts, then why has Minister Fudge let everyone believe it was him? Would he not have protested being held responsible for something he was not responsible for? Or did he not even know it was happening?

Why would Albus Dumbledore just attack like that? Is he really the grandfather figure that many of us know? The scene witness by this reporter suggest that he's not. Could Albus Dumbledore be getting too old for the amount of responsibility on him? He holds seats important stations, is it possible the stress is getting to him? If he was so quick to attack Madam Bones when she was perfectly polite, then are our children really safe with him?

We at the _Daily Prophet_ will be following the investigation very carefully.

 _Harry and everyone else were stunned. When Harry glanced up at Severus, he saw the barely restrained glee on the mans face as he watched Dumbledore. When Harry looked at Dumbledore himself, he saw the man turning colors, kind of like Uncle Vernon would when he was really mad. Those were usually when he could expect a beating. Or, as much of a beating as a fat Muggle like Vernon was able to give. Those didn't happen often though._

 _Harry quickly nudged the Gryffindor's closest to him, and had them look at Dumbledore, when they looked, the noise level started to rise again as everyone started whispering about it and looking at Dumbledore. He noticed Hermione was watching the Headmaster too, but her look was more like wanting him to get up and tell her that it wasn't true. That he didn't just attack the Head of the DMLE out of nowhere. Harry was a little relieved. Hopefully now it wouldn't be so hard to convince her after all... if Dumbledore kept screwing up like this... yeah, he could work with this._

 _Back to what Dumbledore was doing._

 _As Harry (and the rest of the student body) watched, Dumbledore started shaking as he tried to force himself not to lose his temper, his face was turning different colors, and the paper in his hands started smoking. Finally, the paper burst into flames. Then, he held out his hand and all the students copies of the_ Prophet _burst into flames too, making all the students drop their copies quickly to avoid getting burnt, as if he could keep the students from reading it. Which, of course, it was too late to do._

 _"The_ Prophet _is banned until further notice. I will look into this, and I can assure you it will not happen again." He said, and he sounded calm, but everyone could see that his eyes were burning with anger, and it was obvious that he longed to tear something, or someone, apart. Which only proved the question asked by the_ Prophet _to be correct. Just how safe were they with him? But, the way he said it was meant to imply that somebody was masquerading as him and going around attacking people. Or something. Of course, the implication and his reaction sent two completely different messages. He also wondered if he shouldn't get a warning to the_ Daily Prophet _that two of their reporters were in danger._

 _Obviously, him banning the_ Prophet _was only going to ensure it was seen by everyone in the Great Hall. Did he really think that the students would listen to a newspaper ban when it was obvious that there was something in it that he didn't want them to see? Please. They were a bunch of teenagers! If you tell them not to have something, they would find a way to have something! Especially the Weasley Twins. Who were going to be even better at getting away with stuff now that their abilities weren't blocked off anymore._

 _Perhaps he just had enough of the_ Daily Prophet _for the past few days and wanted to make sure the students didn't know what was really going on? After all, it could undermine his authority as Headmaster, and when the student body no longer revered him, the student body would start to question his teachings, particularly about the Light and Dark debate. After all, if the champion and leader of the Light, all that is good in the world, is capable of some of the stuff that had been in the_ Prophet _the past couple of days..._

 _The moment was kind of ruined when Hermione looked at her watch and said they were going to be late for potions with the Slytherins._

So, now here they were. He'd considered bringing up the subject of the newspaper article on the trip down to the dungeons, but decided against it in the end. He was still trying to figure out what to do to earn a detention. Because it sure wouldn't be due to a bad potion. If he tried pulling a stunt like that, after all the lessons Severus gave him in the past few weeks, Severus might kill him! (Not really, but still!)

In the end, he decided that he would just have to wing it, or maybe... he could also see how Malfoy treated him today... although his letter from Sirius the day before said that he would be speaking with Mrs. Malfoy that day, and he didn't know how that talk went or if she would have already messaged her son. He knew what Sirius would be talking to her about, and he also knew that, as Heir Black, Draco Malfoy had to respect him as the Heir of his House. The question was, how much of that would be overshadowed by how the Malfoy family saw themselves.

No, he didn't want his whole plan for getting detention to hang on Malfoy. The year before, that would have been all too easy. Just sit there, and wait for Malfoy to fling something in his cauldron. Then, when he did, protest it, loudly, and then get detention from Professor Snape for being loud, disruptive, and trying to get other students in trouble. Well, he would keep an eye out, and if the opportunity with Malfoy presented itself, he would take it.

He was brought back to reality by the door slamming open and Severus snarling for everyone to 'get in'. When he past the stern professor, he quirked a quick grin that nobody saw at him before scurrying past him and claiming the Gryffindor's usual seats, at the back of the room and far away from the teachers desk.

He was surprised when Draco sat closer to them then he normally would. A fact that made all the Gryffindor's suspicious if the looks they were shooting him said anything.

Harry sighed quietly when Severus called role, and paused at his name before sneering as he called it. If he wasn't wearing the amulet Severus gave him after the meeting with Sharpaxe and the rest of the Alliance, he would have thought that everything from the past few weeks with the man would have been a dream.

Surprisingly, compared to last year where they got a small speech and asked some questions before brewing a potion, this year, Severus started out by demonstrating a few things.

"Now, this year we are starting on some more... complicated potions. Those we brewed last year only caused minor damage if exploded... and they only exploded if you were really Dunderheaded while working." The Slytherins all turned to laugh at Seamus and Neville. Neville was well known for being awful with Potions, and Seamus... well, Seamus blew everything up. "However, this years potions will be more... volatile. They will blow up easier, and, with some of them, even the smallest wrong cut when preparing your ingredients will have a negative impact on the potion itself. But those ones will be later in the year. However, we will start on proper knife handling technique now, so that when we do get that far, you will hopefully not be complete Dunderheads. Last year, it was not much of an issue. This year, however..." He paused and looked around.

"Everyone come up here, so you can see better. Shorter people in the front!" He snapped. Which made Harry groan, because he was one of those shorter people. Luckily, he could count on Ron to stay behind him and watch his back against any of the Slytherin's. Severus waited until everyone was surrounding the table at the front of the room, and he was sure everyone could see.

"Alright, today's potion will contain butterfly wings. Unlike last year, where we just used them whole, this year, you will be required to slice them. Now, when slicing the wings, you must be careful to..."

* * *

Sharpaxe sat back in his chair, satisfied. The trials for the Dursley family were scheduled for the next week, and everything was going smoothly. Of course, if it weren't for the fact that the Muggles could find no record of Harry Potter ever living in that house beyond his school records, and the fact that the fat Muggle fought the police officers... they would already be in the mines.

But, as it was... the Goblin nation was charging them with embezzlement and child neglect, while the Muggle government was charging them with kidnapping, child neglect, child abuse (apparently some very old bloodstains were found on the mattress in the cupboard), and they were also adding resisting arrest and assault on a police officer to Mr. Dursley's charges. Since Mrs. Dursley was fairly well-behaved about the whole thing, even going so far as getting her son to not join in on her husband's attack, she was avoiding those charges.

So, now they were going to be tried to the full extent of Muggle law, which, according to the agreements the Goblin nation had with the Muggle government, meant that the Goblins were going to have to wait to get the Dursleys in the mines until after their sentences in Muggle prison were served. If they even survived Muggle prison. He didn't know what it was about criminals... but, it seemed to be some sort of unspoken code that you do not mess with children. Which lowered the survival rates of those who did significantly.

They were also going to have to decide what to do with Dudley. The Goblins would send anyone to the mines, at a certain age and older. That age happened to be fifteen. Which Dudley Dursley was not. According to the Muggle authorities, the boy had an aunt, but the woman herself was now being investigated for animal cruelty and running an animal breeding operation without the proper licensing. Apparently, she had been having her neighbor, a retired soldier, drown the puppies she saw as worthless runts for years.

What she didn't know, was he that he was actually saving those puppies and taking them to shelters or otherwise finding good homes for them. In fact... she had several litters right now, and there were several pups that the colonel claimed he would have had to rescue. What she also didn't know was that he was keeping record of every dog she had him drown. For when the police came calling. He had tried to go to the police before, anonymously, but nothing happened. A police officer came out to speak with her, but he just left without even looking around.

He would speak with Sirius about whether it was okay for Harry to get a puppy. If he remembered right from the reports, one of the litters was from a German Shepherd. They were very loyal dogs... For now, he would speak with the police in charge of that investigation to let him know which shelter they took the dogs to.

Some of the dogs though, he was told were mean and vicious. They were probably going to have to put those dogs down so nobody got hurt. (It was a shame too, he quite liked pit bulls.) Especially the one the woman called Ripper. Which, according to Severus, was a name Harry mentioned often whenever they spoke about the Dursleys. According to Harry, that dog was the woman's favorite. That dog also seemed to have a pathological hatred for Harry. Constantly attacking him, chasing him up trees and not letting him down, Harry swore that the dog would deliberately make a mess just so Harry would have to clean it up.

Now, he just had to inform his young client and friend that he was required to be at the trial. He tried to get it so Harry didn't have to go, but the Dursley's lawyer was insisting on it. As if the medical reports and Pensieve memories wouldn't be enough. They were even putting the Dursleys under Veritaserum, for gold's sake. The only reason he could possibly see for the lawyer to insist on Harry's presence was if the lawyer was one of Dumbledore's. Their only saving grace was that the medical reports didn't state any lingering health issues aside from the malnutrition.

They were sending teams out to the Black properties within the next few days to purify them, and just to be safe they were sending the Horcrux team to each property as well. They were considering the fact that a Horcrux had been found in the vault of one Bellatrix LeStrange nee Black, and she had been a Death Eater. So, they were going to be cautious and make sure that none of the other Blacks within Voldemort's ranks had been given an item to keep. And this would be their only chance at finding any that were within the Black Family wards.

He doubted that anything would be found at the Potter properties, they were strictly neutral, and if an object like that had ever been brought onto their properties, they would have known about it before it came within five feet of the wards surrounding the property. Besides, he doubted if anyone would be allowed on the properties anyway. For as many years as he had been working for the Potter Family, he could count the number of times he'd been invited out to the Manor on one hand. As dark as the Black family was, the Potters were equally secretive and private.

Oh, people were invited to the other properties all the time, and they threw parties and balls, when it was a 'required function'. Meaning, if it was their turn to host the Wizengamot's yearly ball. Or a Yule ball every other year. But those balls were always at the Manor, and the only places guests were allowed to be was the Floo room connected to the ball room. Other than that, the place was locked down tight. They didn't like people in their main home.

He didn't mind though, if he was the only one kept out, he might, but they kept everyone out who wasn't considered family. And the only one who got that honor that wasn't a Potter in the last hundred years was Sirius Black.

He was still amazed that Charlus let that one family live there like he did. The son used to be a skilled Curse-Breaker and owned that trunk shop now, if Sharpaxe remembered right.

Oh, they were outgoing, and quite the leaders, but for the most part they usually stuck to themselves when they weren't doing political work.

" _ **Ah, Barchoke, did you need something?"**_ He asked when there was a knock on the door and the Black account manager walked in.

 _ **"I was wondering if you had a minute to go over some of the Potter accounts with Lord Black now. He's asked about them, and it is within his rights as the adopted father to Heir Potter-Black. He was also wondering about the Dursley's trial."**_ Barchoke said.

 _ **"Hm, I'm surprised he hasn't already been asking."**_ Sharpaxe mused.

Barchoke shrugged. **_"He's been going over his own accounts with me and making arrangements for his properties to be purified. He's also been taking care of other family business."_**

" ** _True. Alright, I'll be down soon."_**

When he got down there, it was to find Sirius at his desk, writing something and double checking with some of the books strewn out in front of him.

"Hello, Sirius, I see you are doing better." He said after knocking on the door and getting Sirius attention. It may be a private room, but the Healers preferred having the door open just in case. They didn't like closed doors in their infirmary unless they were working and needed to keep others out.

"Yes. I have the Black accounts and family matters sorted out for the most part, arrangements have been made, and so now all that is left is to see what I will be working with in the Potter accounts. I will, of course, be getting Harry's opinions when it comes to investments and giving him more responsibility with it as he gets older and shows himself capable of handling it. Before that though, I was wanting to know what the latest word was on the Dursleys."

Sharpaxe grinned ferally. "Their trial is next week. Unfortunately, their lawyer is demanding Harry's presence, so he will be required to be there, we suspect this lawyer has loose ties with Albus Dumbledore. Now, we would already have them in our mines, except the Muggle courts are bringing the Dursleys up on charges of their own. Charges of kidnapping, abuse, and neglect for both Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, while Mr. Dursley is getting charges of assault on a police officer and resisting arrest added. We will only get them if they survive their sentences in Muggle prison. Since they are human, and non magical."

"What about the boy, though? I know Vernon has a sister of his own, can she not take him?"

"Miss Marjorie Dursley is being investigated herself for animal cruelty and running a breeding operation without proper licensing. The animals in question were dogs. Speaking of... she had several litters of puppies which have now been taken to shelters with their mothers, one was a German Shepherd. I was wondering if it would be alright for Harry to have one of them...?" He asked.

"Hmm. German Shepherds are good dogs... loyal, can be fierce, but also sweet and gentle. They make good guard dogs... I don't see a problem with it." He said after thinking for a moment. Privately, he considered that it would also give him some company when Harry was at school. Especially if Remus wasn't around. Where on earth was that old wolf, anyway?

"Excellent. I'll find out where the litter was taken and go pick one. Now, along with the teams of Curse-Breakers being sent to the Black properties, I am also sending the Horcrux team and a contractor to assess the condition of the buildings on those properties. Especially the townhouse in London, Barchoke advised me that that is the official residence for the Heir to live in after moving out of the Manor? Which means that Walburga Black lived there. Alone. For at least five years before she died." He said. "I hope you don't mind?"

"No, no, send in the Horcrux team. Who knows, they might actually find something there. And, I was going to hire a contractor to go in and assess Grimmauld Place anyway, along with an interior decorator. Find out what kind of work needs to be done to the place to get it livable again. A pest control company probably wouldn't be remiss either." He muttered.

"Good, that just leaves the Potter accounts. I should tell you... concerning the cottage in Godric's Hollow. When the Ministry set the place up as a national monument, I closed it down so nobody could get inside. I know there are some people who were trying to get inside and run tour groups through the house, not to mention thieves. However... when the Ministry set preservation charms up to preserve the house in its half destroyed state, Gringotts stepped in and repaired it. We set up wards to make it seem as if the house was still ruined, but... other than repairing the damage, clearing out the kitchen of perishable food, and moving the more valuable items to a vault, we haven't touched anything." Sharpaxe informed Sirius.

Sirius took a sharp, shaky breath, before he shoved his hands through his hair and nodded before abruptly changing the subject. Sharpaxe let him. "So, the accounts. How much are the various businesses making, what changes have been made over the years as the businesses grew or died, how much did Dumbledore mess up, all that."

Sharpaxe nodded and pulled out a file from the stack. "Well, as far as the businesses go, there are several that I want to sell the stock as they are no longer making any money. Unfortunately, I have been unable to as that would require permission from either Heir Potter or the magical guardian. And since legally that has always been you and you were unavailable until now... but, you are here now, so you can approve changes made to the accounts assets."

"Alright, which businesses do you want to sell out of, and which ones would you recommend buying?" Sirius asked.

"Well, there is an opportunity to buy more stock in the Daily Prophet..." Sharpaxe said ferally. Sirius grinned. How he loved doing business with the Goblins. Especially THIS Goblin.

* * *

Arthur sighed quietly. He had taken a few days off work to take care of personal matters. Luckily, they had the Family vaults back, along with a good sized fortune again so he could afford to do this. Not to mention paying the fifty Galleon fee Amelia gave him for the car. If this had been a few weeks ago, he would have had to sell some of his wife's jewelry or take a loan out from the bank. He supposed he could have also tried selling some of his Muggle stuff around town too, if he needed to. But, that was a few weeks ago.

Now, now he had requested a meeting with Madam Longbottom, Lord Greengrass, Lady Bones, and Lord Abbott.

He had asked if they could come to the Burrow and discuss old Wizengamot business. Namely, why the Weasley family was kicked off it in the first place and what he knew now to have been what really happened. He had the documents sitting on the table in front of him, just waiting for them to ask to see them. Molly was bustling around in the kitchen getting tea around, including cake. He still needed to head to the Farm and see what its condition was, and if any of the Elves were still there. He thought they should be... but it had been a long time since anyone was there.

He looked up when the Floo went off in the other room, and went to greet whichever of his guests would be coming. This one happened to be Daniel Greengrass.

"Daniel, its good to see you again, thanks for coming out." Arthur said.

"Arthur, it has been a while, hasn't it?" He asked as he looked around curiously. He'd never been to the Burrow before. It didn't really surprise him how cozy it was and how much it felt like a home, despite its somewhat shabby appearance. Shabby or not though, it was well looked after. "I like your house."

Arthur flushed red. Compared to the manor this man had... "It's not much, but..."

"But its home." He finished with a smile. "Its simple, modest, and it suits you. The Weasley family was never one for flaunting its wealth with big homes and grand gestures. You know this better than I do, being a Weasley and all... Be proud of your home! You've done a good job building it."

"Thanks. You remember my wife, Molly?" He said, gesturing to Molly, who had just taken the cake out of the oven when he Flooed in and was finally satisfied she could leave it for a moment.

"Yes, it has been a while though. You're looking well, Molly, and I love your home." He complemented her.

"Thank you, Daniel. How is Hannah doing?" Molly asked after making a small curtsy, as was polite when greeting a Lord of their society. Arthur could get away with not doing anything since he was technically a Lord himself, even if the Weasley's lost all credibility and their positions. But, that's why they were here. The seats were still there, if the Ministry or somebody else claimed them, then they could accuse whoever it was of Line Theft.

"She is fine, thank you." Daniel said, nodding to her. He turned back to Arthur. "You wished to speak with me? You said it was important, and related to the Wizengamot." He prompted.

"Yes, we are just waiting for Madam Longbottom, Amelia, and Charles." He said, "Here, why don't you wait in the living room, Molly has the tea...?" He turned to his wife questioning, in response she merely grabbed the tea tray and took it in the living room ahead of Daniel.

Daniel couldn't help but notice that Arthur looked a little flustered by something. He didn't ask though, he was sure that whatever it was, he would learn of it once the others arrived, although he did have to wonder just what it was that it involved some of the Potter Alliance. Of which the Weasley's were a part of before they got kicked out of their seats, despite the Potters best efforts.

Once everyone had finally arrived ten minutes later, with Amelia being last, an emergency had cropped up that required her attention before she could get away, and Arthur had waited for Molly to finish serving everyone, he started on why he asked them all there.

"Amelia, you already know about this, since Sharpaxe said he would send it to you, but... for the rest of you..." Arthur paused, unsure as to how exactly to proceed. Finally, he decided to just make sure of what they knew and go from there. "You all know, that my grandfather lost the fortune and the Family Seat gambling, losing everything to the Malfoys, correct?" He asked. When everyone except Amelia nodded, he took a deep breath and continued. "And if I were to tell you that that version of events was wrong? I just learned this a few weeks ago, but... according to the Goblins, my grandfather never gambled a Knut. The fortune just... vanished."

They were all silent.

So, Arthur continued. "My grandfather apparently made a deal with the Malfoy family, they would help us out financially so we didn't lose everything, they came up with a payment plan, and that plan was carried out. The Weasley Vaults are open now, though." He said.

The others sat back and looked at each other, confused. "But, if that was true, then why was an investigation never started? Why did your grandfather tell everyone it was gambling?" Daniel asked.

Augusta sighed. "Let me guess, Dumbledore?"

Both Amelia and Arthur nodded in her direction. Daniel ahh'd in understanding, while Charles was confused. That didn't explain why none of them knew this.

"Dumbledore is... liberal in his use of memory charms and modification. The goblins have managed to track several vaults contents to Dumbledore, Jack at the trunk store, his family is one of the ones who lost everything. The thing is though, the Goblins still have no idea how he was doing this and getting away with it. All this time, all those families, it was always thought they made bad financial decisions." Amelia explained. "Nobody has even tried to look deeper until recently." She didn't mention Severus's involvement in all this.

"This is only some of what Sharpaxe couldn't tell us at the meeting the other week. There is much more to this, Dumbledore's been manipulating and stealing his way to the top for many years. The less people that know about it right now, the better." Augusta finished.

"Did you know about this, too?" Charles demanded of Daniel.

"No, I only know what Dumbledore has done in regards to House Potter." He said. "I'm assuming that this meeting is in an effort to repair the reputation of House Weasley, and get you your seats back. Since they were stolen from you..." He said to Arthur, who nodded.

"Problem is, we were kicked out by majority vote. The Potters were the only ones who didn't vote us out, even some of their alliance voted against us. The rest abstained from voting." Arthur said.

Charles nodded thoughtfully. "May we see the records from Gringotts?" He asked. Arthur nodded and gestured towards them on the table.

"The problem here, is that the Ministry has been using your seats. I don't know when that one happened, one day they were just... there." Charles said after he studied the parchments for a minute. "How could this happen to one of our own? This is..." He muttered to himself.

"When we get our seats back, I can charge them with Line Theft. The others, once they realize what happened, how we have been tricked over the years, they will not let it slide that the Ministry took over and started using the seats of one of their own. Especially since it was initially the Ministry that 'found' the evidence of gambling and 'politely reminded' them all of the rules regarding that." Arthur said with a sigh.

"This is going to take a while to get you your seats back, it might not be possible while Dumbledore is still in charge. I may have restricted his access to the Ministry, but he is still the Chief Warlock. You may not be able to get back in your seats until after we get him up on charges. The newspaper campaign against him will start tomorrow, We decided to move up our plans after his visit to the office yesterday." Amelia said.

Charles looked around at them all. "This has been a long-term investigation, hasn't it?" He asked Amelia. When she nodded, he asked the others how long they'd been part of this.

"I'm the only one here who knows everything Dumbledore has been up to. Those outside this house are: the Goblins, Severus Snape, and now Kingsley Shacklebolt as soon as he finishes reading the file I told him to go through to start the investigation. I don't know if the Goblins have gotten around to telling Sirius yet or not, I know he's been spending the past few days taking care of family business." Amelia said, she was taking a risk naming Severus like this. If Dumbledore found out, he would have Severus in a cell faster than she or the Goblins could act to keep him out of it. If he didn't just arrange a little 'accident' first.

"Snape? That Death Eater?" Charles asked incredulously.

"He's Harry's other godfather. It was the biggest argument Lily and James ever had, I'm told. James wanted Sirius, and Lily wanted Severus. Eventually, they compromised and decided to ask both." She said with a shrug. "And don't worry, I've already asked Severus under Veritaserum about his days as a Death Eater. He may have initially taken the Mark, but he regretted it and went straight to James and Lily about what he'd done. He's been a Death Eater in name only ever since." She explained quickly. "We can do what we can to get the Weasley Family restored..." She sat back in thought for a moment. "We may have to switch up the contents of our newspaper campaign. The articles we want are already written, it shouldn't be too much to simply use the ones pertaining to the money thefts towards the beginning... Yes, I believe we can get this to work."

"And in the meantime, we can gather support in the Wizengamot. When the time is right, we call for a vote of having the Weasley Family reinstated, and I don't see there being any problem with it since it will be under grounds of fraud and 'potential' Line Theft." Charles said, sitting back in his seat. He was still somewhat confused as to what was happening, but he trusted Amelia. "And I see here that the debt was completely paid back three years ago, but then why did the Goblins not contact you about this three years ago?" He asked.

"Quickjaw said they were waiting for us to go in and claim it. He didn't say anything else. But, it could be likely that something was set up between Quickjaw and my grandfather when all this happened? I don't know, I haven't been able to get in and really go over things with him yet, I've been focusing on my family and work. The Muggle-baiting is getting bad right now. We've had ten exploding doorknobs just this week! And according to the law, we can't really prosecute unless somebody is seriously injured or the Statute of Secrecy is broken, which just means that all I can do is go in, give whoever I catch a warning, and let them go again to do it all over again!" He ranted.

The others just stared at him wide-eyed. Then, Amelia looked thoughtful, although she was confused. Was it really that bad. "Ten? I only heard of one."

"One? No, there were ten. Didn't you get my reports? I file them with your people every time I go out and catch somebody at it... I even include their names so you can keep an eye out for them to escalate."

"No, I only got the report of one." She frowned. "I'll look into it when I get back to the office." She promised.

"Well, is that all the business we had to discuss?" Daniel suddenly asked. When they looked at him, confused, he grinned. "Come on, we all have kids who are the same age, surely some of you have embarrassing parenting stories? Arthur, I'm sure has more than the rest of us." When the others all laughed,, Arthur called Molly in to join the discussion now that they were done with business, and Bill even joined them for a bit when he came home for lunch before going back out on his next assignment.

Just because the Goblins were keeping him in England right now for his expertise on Horcruxes didn't mean they weren't keeping him busy on other things while they waited for the Rune schemes to find another one. And they weren't going out to the Black properties until the next day.


	19. Chapter 19

_**Gobbledygook**_

 _"Well, is that all the business we had to discuss?" Daniel suddenly asked. When they looked at him, confused, he grinned. "Come on, we all have kids who are the same age, surely some of you have embarrassing parenting stories? Arthur, I'm sure has more than the rest of us." When the others all laughed,, Arthur called Molly in to join the discussion now that they were done with business, and Bill even joined them for a bit when he came home for lunch before going back out on his next assignment._

 _Just because the Goblins were keeping him in England right now for his expertise on Horcruxes didn't mean they weren't keeping him busy on other things while they waited for the Rune schemes to find another one. And they weren't going out to the Black properties until the next day._

Harry took a deep breath and knocked on the door in front of him. It took a minute, but finally he heard, "Come!"

When he opened the door, he noticed Severus looked tense, although as soon as the door was closed, he relaxed and his face lost its scowl that he usually had when in public.

"Good acting." He complimented, making Harry flush slightly at the praise. "It is a shame that I had to take Malfoy's side though... twenty points to Gryffindor for such an inspired performance." Harry flushed, Severus had taken ten points off Gryffindor when Harry started an argument with Malfoy, then caused Malfoy's potion to explode, and then got away completely scott free. He only got the points and detention for arguing with both Malfoy and Severus. The only reason he got away with it was because he was able to act so completely innocent and confused that even Severus couldn't find any reason to blame him in front of the rest of the class.

"And..." He pulled out the 'quiz' Lockhart had given them, that Harry had slipped him along with his summer assignment. "What on earth is this?" He asked, staring at the parchment like it was a snake about to strike, poking it with his wand for good measure.

"That is the quiz Lockhart gave us on how well we read his books. I thought you might like to see it. Class with him was pathetic. You heard about the pixies, right?" Harry said, when Severus nodded absently, reading the parchment in disgust and anger, he continued. "Well, he gave us that quiz before hand, I think he's also trying to get the recall on his books revoked." Harry said with a shrug. "By the way, what did you do to him? He looked scared when your name was brought up."

Severus raised an eyebrow, gave Harry an innocent look (that was on par with the one Harry gave him in class), didn't answer, and snorted when he read some of Harry's answers to a few questions. Harry would have made a fine Slytherin, too bad he met Draco Malfoy first. Shaking his head, he put the parchment aside to go over some more later and decide how he was going to 'fix' the DADA problem. For now though, "Tonight, I was going to show you how to set up your Occlumency shields and your mind how you want it, then we can plan a training schedule. Let me know when Wood begins Quidditch practice, we may have to adjust." Harry nodded his understanding before he was fixed with a stern look. "And I will be keeping an eye on your grades. I don't expect you to suddenly be outperforming Miss Granger, but I do expect an average of Exceeds Expectations minimum to be maintained at all times. With your memory, I would expect better, however, I realize the mentality and habits developed at the Dursleys will be hard to break. If I feel your grades are not where they should be, I will pull you from the team." He said in a voice that warned Harry against protesting.

Harry grimaced, but nodded. He didn't like the threat to his Quidditch, but he liked the feeling that Severus cared enough to make the threat.

Severus nodded too, and paused a second to collect his thoughts. "Occlumency, as I'm sure you have read already, is one of two mental disciplines. Both of them, you tested as having a natural ability for. However, just because you have a natural ability for them does not mean you don't need instruction on how to use them properly and safely, and to ensure you don't hurt yourself. the other discipline is Legilimency. Now, Occlumency is the art of shielding the mind, while its counterpart is the art of... invading the mind. Understand?" He explained.

Harry nodded.

"Now, because this is a natural ability, I don't expect it to take long for you to get used to it and become proficient. True mastery will take time and patience to hone your skill in the art. Are you ready?" He asked. Harry nodded again, but Severus could see the slight nervousness in his eyes. "Sit, and close your eyes. Focus on your breathing and the sound of my voice..."

Harry closed his eyes and listened.

Under Severus direction, Harry sank into his mind and started to form it how he wanted, he also laid the groundwork for mental barriers and other defenses, that he could build on later over time. Severus explained that if his main shields should be broken through, a secondary 'defense' would be good. This, was where forming his mind to look a certain way would come in. A room, or building, that he felt safe in, where he could 'hide' his memories among the normal objects. Naturally he chose his trunk library. He was pretty sure that Severus mind would look like a potions lab, (he was only partially right) but he didn't ask.

Severus mind did contain a potions lab in it, but it was inside the Evan's house. Harry's grandparents house, where Lily grew up and where Severus spent every moment of every summer that he could, especially after his mother died and left him alone with his drunk, abusive father.

He decided to hide his most important memories on the higher shelves, while his Hogwarts memories, particularly classes, would go on the shelves that were at eye-level close to the door. While his scariest memories went in the glass cases to be locked away. Those memories he wanted to stay secret, like his years with the Dursleys (he just didn't like thinking about it and didn't want people knowing), would be well hidden amongst the random books he would fill the rest of the shelves with.

Or, at least, that was the plan. He would work on his room some more later. He did manage to make extremely good progress though, he took just an hour and a half to do what might take some months of meditation to just get the groundwork laid.

After that, Severus tested what he had done and decided that it was good enough to stop there for the night. "Very, very good. I don't think you will need too much instruction, if you have questions, feel free to ask. I will periodically test your defenses. Start working on maintaining your defenses in your sleep, as well. I could tell you how, but every mind is different, what works for me might not work for you. I know the Heir rings will protect you from mental intrusion, but you can never be too careful. Now, did you bring your class schedule?" He asked.

Harry grinned and handed it over. "Oliver hasn't said anything about Quidditch yet, but Fred says that when he does decide to start practices, he'll just come hunt us down and tell us to be on the pitch." Harry shrugged. "He'll probably give us some kind of schedule then."

"Severus frowned at the Gryffindor captain's ways. What if his players were doing homework or studying for a test when he came to get them? Were they just expected to drop everything and meet on the pitch? He resolved to keep an eye on Oliver Wood this year. If only so the captain didn't overwork his godson. If wasn't good if the captain overworked his team, it wasn't healthy. Not to mention they were here to learn, not play Quidditch. Quidditch was an extra, a privilege, one that could be taken away if need be.

"Until Wood gives you a schedule, meet me on the seventh floor on Tuesday and Thursday nights. I may throw in the occasional Saturday. Lets meet after dinner." Severus said after he studied Harry's schedule.

"Seventh floor?" Harry asked, he made a quick note on his schedule and Severus charmed it so only Harry could read it.

"Yes, near the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy and the trolls. I'll show you when you get there. Don't forget to wear you Cloak." Severus said with a small, secretive smile.

Harry pouted briefly, now he was just even more curious, and Severus knew it! But then he frowned, "Hedwig wanted me to talk to you about Hermione..." Severus listened with a frown as Harry explained their concerns regarding his bushy haired friend. He had to admit, Harry had a point. "And I think the Daily Prophet article earlier might have helped, but now she's determined that they must have misunderstood his actions in pulling his wand. She says he was probably just about to make an oath or something."

The girl had a blind devotion to authority figures and the written word. He could probably show her a book detailing exactly why the sky was actually purple and the grass was pink, and she would probably open up debates about why that book may or may be true. "Bring her to your first lesson with me. We'll have to push my lesson plans back a bit, but it would not do for her to find something out and then go running to Dumbledore, believing that she was only helping. For someone so smart, she cannot think for herself." HE muttered so quietly, Harry barely heard him.

It took a lot of effort for him not to leap to his friends defense. Severus kind of had a point, after all. She mostly did her thinking out of books and what adults told her. She was much, much better about it, him and Ron were starting to get her away from that mentality, but... everyone once in a while it resurfaced. And resurfaced with a vengeance.

Severus looked at the time. "You best get back to your common room. Here," He scribbled a note and handed it to Harry. "It's curfew now, that's just in case you run into Filch or someone else."

Harry took the note and stood to go. At the door, he turned around, "Good-night, Uncle Severus." He said, and left.

Severus collapsed bonelessly back into his chair when he heard Harry call him 'uncle'. Harry had nothing but bad experiance with that word... he didn't think Harry would every call him that again. A soft smile crossed his face.

"Good-night, Snakelet." He murmured, using his old nickname for Harry while he watched the door where Harry had disappeared as soon as he said good-night.

* * *

When Saturday came, it seemed, for some strange reason, to give Lockhart permission to stalk him and give him some 'much needed' advice. Apparently, the idiot still couldn't decide between whether or not Ron flying the car would have been the perfect publicity stunt had Harry been with him, or too big to start with this early in Harry's career. Naturally, no matter what Harry said, the fool would not listen, and seemed to think the thought of Harry not liking his fame to be nothing short of blasphemy. He seemed to believe that having fame was the sole purpose of being a human being. Or, something like that.

Eventually, Harry gave up on being out and about in the castle and retreated to the Gryffindor common room. He decided that meals should be safe to emerge for, provided he moved quickly or used the Cloak.

If lunch proved to not be safe, then he would make himself dinner in his trunk. Saturday, of course, also happened to be the day Oliver Wood decided to start Quidditch practice... at the crack of dawn.

 _Harry was asleep, like any_ normal _person would be, when he was suddenly being shaken awake. Much, much earlier than he wanted to be by Oliver Wood._

 _"Wassamatter?" he asked, still half-asleep._

 _"Quidditch practice! Come on!" He said, excited. Ok, he knew the twins said that Oliver would just find them when he wanted to start practice, but this early in the morning?! Did he get hit too hard over the summer by a Bludger?!_

 _Harry squinted at the window. There was a thin mist hanging across the pink-and-gold sky. Now that he was awake, how did he sleep through the racket the birds were making? Oh, right, he put a timed silencing charm around his bed, it would 'activate' at a certain time of night whether he was in bed yet or not, that way he could sleep through Ron snoring. It 'deactivated' once he woke up or his alarm went off, whichever happened first._

 _"Oliver, it's the crack of dawn." Harry croaked. Ok, not even he could have anticipated Oliver waking them all up for practice, instead of waiting for them to all wake up on their own, or, you know, waiting until after breakfast like a_ SANE _person._

 _"Exactly." Oliver said. He was a tall, and burly sixth year, and his eyes were currently gleaming with a crazed enthusiasm. "It's part of our new training program," That did NOT sound good. "Come on, grab your broom, let's go. None of the other teams have started yet, we're going to be first off the mark this year-"_

 _Harry yawned and reluctantly got out from underneath his nice, warm covers, shivering as he went, to find his Quidditch robes._

 _"Good man, meet you on the field in fifteen minutes." He said before he left, whether to find the rest of the team, or to go out to the field himself, Harry didn't care. Although, he did briefly wonder how he was going to let the girls know. He'd read in_ Hogwarts, A History _about the spells on the girls staircases keeping males out._

 _When he finally found his team robes and pulled on his cloak, he was cold right now, he scribbled a note for Ron to explain and went down with his Nimbus over his shoulder. He was about to leave when he heard a clatter behind him and turned around only to groan when he saw his number one fanboy and annoyance. Colin Creevey. And he was carrying his camera. Great, wonderful. He had something else too, but all Harry could tell was that it looked like a piece of paper in the low, early morning light of the common room._

 _"I heard someone saying your name on the stairs, Harry! Look what I've got here, I've had it developed, I wanted to show you-" The other boy said quickly and breathlessly. Harry hummed in interest and looked at the picture Colin was waving under his nose in amusement._

 _A moving, black-and-white Lockhart was tugging hard on an arm Harry could tell was his. He was glad to see that his picture self was putting up a pretty good fight, and winning, to avoid being dragged into view. As Harry watched, the picture Lockhart eventually gave up and slumped against the edge of the picture, panting._

 _"Will you sign it?" Colin asked eagerly._

 _Harry looked at the boys eager face and sighed. "No," He said flatly, and glanced around to make sure the room was clear. "Sorry, Colin, but I'm really not comfortable with all this fame, I'm also in a hurry- Quidditch practice-" And with that, he climbed out the portrait hole. And... Colin followed._

 _"Oh,wow! Wait for me, I've never seen a Quidditch game before!" He said, eagerly. Harry sighed again, it seemed like the boy didn't pay any attention to what Harry said about not liking his fame. This was going to be a long year, having to share the Tower with this boy... he'd have to find some way of getting the boy to work with him that would hopefully curb his hero-worship a little..._

 _"It'll be really boring," Harry said quickly, trying to get rid of the kid. But Colin ignored him, his face was shining in so much excitement, Harry didn't have the heart to just send him back to the common room. The kid kind of reminded him of an excited puppy his Aunt Marge had once, before she had her neighbor drown it..._

 _"You were the youngest House player in a hundred years, weren't you? That's what some of the older kids said." Colin said while he trotted to keep up. Harry could have slowed down, but he was already late meeting with the team. "You must be brilliant, I've never flown, is it easy? Is that your own broom? Is that the best there is?" He rambled._

 _Harry had no clue how to get rid of him, not without hurting his feelings anyway. He'd never had such a talkative shadow before. (He'd never had a shadow before, period.) So, he spent the whole time they walked down to the Quidditch pitch talking about Quidditch. Harry actually kind of liked the other boy. He just needed to calm down and not worship the ground Harry walked on. Eh, he could work on that.. Either way, the boys photography skills could also come in handy, the kid could make a fortune being Gryffindor House's personal photographer._

 _Hmm, he'll have to suggest that later._

Of course, by the time he got into the locker room, Oliver spent the next hour and a half or so going over plays, ignoring the fact that his team was too busy sleeping or dozing off to pay attention. He was awake enough to notice when Severus peeked in, probably to make sure Oliver wasn't working them the entire time after getting them all up before he really should have.

By the time they finally left the locker room, the sun was already coming up, and breakfast had already started, judging by the toast Ron and Hermione were eating.

And then, and then the Slytherins showed up. And if Severus actually wrote that note giving them permission to use the pitch, he would eat Hedwig. (His Familiar caused him to get a massive headache when she caught onto those thoughts, because she was ranting about something, but he didn't quite know what because she could only communicate with him through a series of mental images and the occasional memory and he had to try and interpret them, but they were too vague and coming too fast for him to even try to begin interpreting.)

And of course, of course Draco Malfoy would buy his way onto the team. What else would the spoiled brat do? It wasn't like he could try out for the team like everyone else, that was probably too plebeian for him. They were just lucky Madam Hooch walked by when she did and broke up the fight before it began, or at least before Ron hexed Malfoy... that would not have ended well.

Of course, though, it wasn't lucky as her way of breaking up the argument involved kicking both teams off the pitch. So, the Gryffindor's still missed their practice time, and ended up getting woken up early for nothing. He'd heard Oliver mutter about seeing McGonagall about this. It was a good thing he still had the scroll, or she probably wouldn't have believed him. (Yes, he was still sore that she hadn't believed him about the Stone being in danger.)

He was actually kind of glad that practice was interrupted, he had originally been planning on finding a quiet spot, one that he could claim as his and use it to get away from the noise of the castle. He hadn't found a spot like that last year, even though he meant to, but now he was. Only, that plan was derailed fast when Lockhart started showing up everywhere. He'd lose him, and then he would just show up again. It was frustrating! So, he confined himself to the Tower for the morning. He'd would see how safe it was at lunch and decide dinner from there. Dimly, he wondered where Hermione was. He needed to ask her something about their Astronomy homework.

* * *

Severus was _livid_. He'd just been visited by Minerva, who _kindly_ and _politely_ informed him what happened earlier that morning between the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams. As polite as she'd been, he knew that she was very close to turning into her cat form and attacking.

And her claws hurt. He knew from experiance, there had been the one time when he accidentally stepped on her tail. And, it honestly had been an accident. He'd had a cauldron in his arms at that moment, and hadn't seen her there. She apologized later, but her claws were sharp. He still had the scars on his ankles. She never did tell him why she was just sitting there as a cat, either.

He was now waiting for his Snakes in his office. They all knew better than to pull some stupid stunt like this. He may not take points or punish publicly, but that didn't mean he didn't punish privately, and oh, did he punish.

When Minerva came to his office, he'd been expecting her usual complaints about his conduct towards her Lions, not for Wood to follow her, also fuming. He had most certainly not been expecting her to accuse her of such blatant favoritism that he would go so far as to sabotage the Lions practice time the way he had.

Naturally, he had no idea what she was talking about, and was quite surprised when Wood held out a scroll, apparently signed by him, over-riding the Gryffindors pitch time that morning. The problem was, he never signed anything for Marcus Flint. Much less permission to use the pitch during a time when it was booked by another team.

He'd known Wood had the pitch booked for the morning, he'd even gone down to check to make sure the captain didn't have his team on the pitch the entire time. He had been quite pleased to see that Wood had them in the locker room going over strategy and training plans, he'd chosen to ignore the fact that Wood was talking while the rest of the team tried to stay awake or just dozed. That was the captain's problem, he was the one who dragged his team out of their beds so early in the morning.

But still, where on earth did his team get the idea that they could just, unsuccessfully, forge his signature like that? Did they think he wouldn't find out about it? Were they stupid? They had to have known he would find out, and that they would not like the consequences. And if they were forging his signature, then how many of the other teachers signatures were they forging? And was the the only time, or was this just the first time they got caught at it? Were they not expecting the Lions to go to their Head of House, and for said Head of House to not come to him to find out what he was thinking pulling a stunt like the one he apparently pulled?

He thought they were Slytherins, supposed to be cunning, and sly, not... whatever this was! Because this was not Slytherin behavior! Rather, he thought this kind of thing, pulling such an obvious stunt like this and thinking they got away with it, was rather Gryffindorish.

When he heard a knock at the door, he looked up and snarled at them to come in. He was still holding the scroll giving the Slytherin team permission to kick the Gryffindor's off the pitch that morning. The scroll that he most certainly did NOT sign. While he did agree that Malfoy would need the training, the boy couldn't play half as well as Higgs could, his team could book the pitch just like everyone else, not try and kick other teams off during their practice time.

When they came in and lined up in front of his desk, he slowly stood up, and stood there watching them for a moment, he kept his face carefully blank, but he knew they could see the barely suppressed fury in his eyes and slow movements. It was when he moved slowly and deliberately that he was at his most dangerous. And, as Slytherins, they all knew it.

"' _I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on teh Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker.'"_ He read, then he looked up at them. "Funny, but I do not remember writing this, or even giving you verbal permission to use the pitch today. Especially seeing as how, the Gryffindor team only had the pitch for the morning, so you could have just as easily gone this afternoon instead of going and interrupting their practice, which all of them got up for exceptionally early instead of sleeping like I'm sure all of them wanted to." He said, his tone was _almost_ casual. He could see the fear and apprehension on all of their faces.

Oh, yes. They knew they messed up, and they knew they were caught as soon as he lifted the parchment to read off it.

They all looked to Marcus Flint, their captain, to try and get them out of this mess. "Master Snape," Ah, addressing him by his official title as a Master of his field, his Snakes only did that when they were in trouble. "It was just the Gryffindors. We just wanted to make sure they knew their place."

A couple of the others nodded in agreement.

Severus narrowed his eyes. "That's your only defense? You forged a note, poorly, by the way, with a teacher's permission to do something to openly sabotage the other team, and your only defense is that it was just the Gryffindor's?" When they all nodded slowly, he spat, "I have half a mind to suspend all of you from the team and rebuild the team from scratch!" They all paled. Huh, that actually wasn't a bad idea... He'd see how the rest of this conversation went. Higgs just might get back on the team sooner than he expected.

"Not only was this behavior unbecoming of a Slytherin, it paints our House in an even worse light than before and justifies the bad treatment at the rest of the schools hands, but! There's also the fact that, if your willing to try and forge _my_ signature thinking you won't be caught, then who knows what else you've done in the past and gotten away with because you 'had a note from a teacher'." He said the last part so coldly and mockingly, shivers ran down their spines. They had never seen him this angry with a student before. At least, not another Slytherin student.

"Now, do you want to, perhaps, revise your defense?" When none of them said anything, he narrowed his eyes. "Very well then. First, you will tell me, who wrote this note. And, later we will go to the staff room and we will speak with the other Heads of House about past notes written 'by a teacher'." He mocked again.

Everyone looked to Marcus Flint again, and he fidgeted, before he finally seemed to make up his mind about telling them. "It was Blaise Zabini. He's pretty good at forging signatures, this was the first time we did yours! I swear!" He said quickly. Now that was self-preservation instincts at its finest. As well as the back-stabbing Slytherins were often accused of.

"Very well then." Severus looked at them all for a moment, thinking up their punishment. He would not take points, he did not do that to his own house, the other teachers took enough, but... "All of you, are hereby suspended from the Quidditch team for the first term. I will conduct new trials in the next few days. You will bring the Nimbus 2001's to my office, they belong to the team, which you are not anymore. You will also serve detention, every night, for the next month. If you want to be back on the team at the start of next term, I will be holding new trials to see if you can earn your spot back. In order to get the chance of earning your spot back, your grades will be at a standard I deem acceptable." He said sternly. He saw Malfoy opening his mouth to protest, but he cut him off. "Am I clear? " He said softly. Malfoy's mouth shut with an audible click.

"Yes, sir." Came the subdued response.

"Good." With that, he wrote a quick note and called a House-Elf to deliver it to Blaise Zabini, the boy, if he had any brains at all, would meet them outside the Staff room, where the rest of the Heads of House would be as soon as he sent off his Patronus to tell them.

When they reached the Staff room, it was to find the other Heads and the Headmaster already there. "Ah, Severus, we were just discussing your Snakes." Minerva said, she seemed angry. He thought he got her to calm down, unless she didn't believe him when he said he would take care of it? That actually kind of hurt, he considered her to be one of his few friends after all. Sure, they had their disagreements regarding Quidditch, they were both highly competitive, but she usually trusted him to take care of something when he said he would.

He didn't let any of that show, though.

"I wanted all of you here, because this is a bigger problem than what was brought to me by Minerva earlier." He said slowly, he really did not want the Headmaster to be involved, the old man would do one of two things. 1) Pretend they were just being boys and didn't do anything wrong, therefore let them off with a warning, or 2) use his hatred and prejudice against the House of Snakes to try and get them suspended. Even though, in my opinion, Blaise Zabini is the only one who should be punished for writing and distributing forgery. The others were already being punished for trying to use that forgery to sabotage another team in a manner unbefitting of Slytherins.

When Zabini knocked, and Flint let him in at Severus instruction, he paled when he saw the five teachers. He paled even more when he saw the ex-team and the note he had written up just that morning to kick the Gryffindor's off the pitch was shoved in his face.

Then, his Head of House turned to the other teachers after pushing him to stand with his fellow Snakes. "Normally, I would handle this in-house, however, this is a serious problem that I feel it best for all the Heads to deal with. Mr. Zabini has been identified as the one who wrote this note for the former members of the Slytherin Quidditch team to use to kick the Gryffindor Quidditch team off the pitch this morning, despite the fact that if they were really there to practice, they could have waited until after lunch as the Gryffindor team only had the pitch for the morning." He said, and Minerva nodded, she seemed to be the only teacher who caught onto what he said about them being the former Slytherin team.

"So, this is a case of forgery? That's a serious problem. Who knows what they could have written up in the past to get out of trouble or do something else they shouldn't have..." Filius said thoughtfully, watching the boys. "How long has it been going on, boys?" He asked the students sternly.

Zabini was clearly trying to figure out something to say to get him out of trouble, but they were interrupted by Dumbledore. "Now, I'm sure the boys didn't mean anything by it, I'm sure this was just some harmless joke against the Gryffindor team. I'm sure they won't do it again." He said in his best, kind, grandfatherly voice. Unfortunately, they were Slytherins, and they saw right through it.

"Albus, this is serious. Who knows what else they've forged, from passes to be out after curfew, to notes from teachers excusing them for being late to their next lesson while they did who knows what, notes from Madam Pomfrey excusing them from classes... And now they are trying to sabotage another Quidditch team." Minerva said, annoyed.

"They have already been punished for this morning. For their unsportsmanlike conduct, and unSlytherin behavior, they have all been suspended from the team for the term, after the Yule holidays, they will have the chance to earn their spot back, provided they have behaved and kept their grades where I deem acceptable. However, this is to discuss Mr. Zabini's punishment, and to find out how many others are involved. Throughout the school." He said, making it clear that he doubted very much that this was a Slytherin only problem.

"Isn't suspension a little harsh, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, a disapproving frown on his face. Severus could see in his eyes, though, the glee the old man felt at the Snakes being punished so harshly.

"How I punish my Snakes is none of your concern, Albus, I wouldn't even be discussing any of this with you at all if I did not feel that the forgery is a school wide problem." Severus snarled. This was why he didn't want the old man involved. The Heads made it a point not to question or interfere with how another Head disciplined their students. Well, as long as the student didn't get injured, anyway. If another Head disciplined one of their students, not one of their own, then they could interfere and question. Albus Dumbledore, on the other hand, he liked to meddle. And he liked to question and, on some occasions, he liked to get his favorites out of being disciplined by overruling on their punishment.

He'd done it before, with James Potter and Sirius Black, after the Shrieking Shack incident. Minerva was in the process of suspending both boys, even though James hadn't been involved until he learned what Sirius had done and came to get him, Severus, out of there. From what he was told later, their bags had been packed for their two week suspension, they were in Minerva's office waiting for her to Floo their parents to come get them, when Dumbledore showed up and told them to go back to the Tower and get ready for bed. They weren't in any trouble, in fact, Severus had already 'promised' that he wouldn't tell anyone. So, no harm done.

It had been after James and Sirius sought him out during their sixth year, and apologized to him, explaining what really happened when they weren't punished, that their private truce started. It was too dangerous for them to publicly acknowledge it, Severus was getting in too deep with the Junior Death Eaters. Not to mention sharing a dorm with them. He'd faced enough problems with them for his friendship with Lily, even after they had their falling out.

He was brought out of his thoughts when Filius spoke up. "I, for one, agree with Severus's punishment of the boys, Albus. Now, what we need to do is figure out how long this has been going on, how many are involved, and what the punishment for the forgery should be." He said, with a frown in Dumbledore's direction. They all happened to agree with Severus when it came to Dumbledore sticking his nose in their House business.

"Agreed. Mr. Zabini, if you do not answer truthfully, you will be scrubbing bedpans under Filch's supervision for the next three months, am I clear?" Minerva said sternly. Zabini's eyes widened slightly before he managed to recover his Pureblood Slytherin mask, but he nodded his understanding along with a small, 'Yes, ma'am.'

"Good, how many students have asked you, or another student, to forge a note from a teacher." Pomona asked first.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Gobbledygook**_

 _"Agreed. Mr. Zabini, if you do not answer truthfully, you will be scrubbing bedpans under Filch's supervision for the next three months, am I clear?" Minerva said sternly. Zabini's eyes widened slightly before he managed to recover his Pureblood Slytherin mask, but he nodded his understanding along with a small, 'Yes, ma'am.'_

 _"Good, how many students have asked you, or another student, to forge a note from a teacher." Pomona asked first._

By the time Tuesday came around, and with it Harry's first training session with Severus since returning to school, Harry was tired. Tired of school, of the other students following him around, trying to get his attention, and tired of everyone whispering about him as if he was deaf.

The only thing interesting that happened since Saturday morning was when most of Slytherin House second year and up, about half of Ravenclaw, and even a few Gryffindors were put on probation for being involved in the forgery ring that the teachers discovered after the Slytherin team interrupted their Quidditch practice. And that was with rumors that Dumbledore had tried to 'make the teachers see reason'. Evidently, he had tried to fight with the teachers regarding their punishment, he said probation for a little teenage rebellion and boys being boys was a little harsh. Ignoring the fact that over half his school was involved, and they weren't all boys. Also ignoring the fact that this punishment was perfectly acceptable under the school by-laws, as laid out by the Founders. (What nobody knew except the ringleaders and those actually writing the notes was that McGonagall contacted the Aurors to investigate their parents. They wanted to make sure the students hadn't picked this up from their parents. Those were some GOOD forgeries.)

Naturally, when the Hufflepuffs found out about it, they returned to their common room and basically shunned the rest of the school. They only came out for meals and class. (They only came out for meals because Professor Sprout ordered the House-elves to not take them food in the Common Room.) And the only students they spoke with during class outside of their own House were the ones who weren't on probation. If they spoke with those on probation, it was because the teacher partnered them together, and even then they only spoke the bare minimum required for their class work.

And if they were still a little frosty with even those students not on probation... well... And really, considering they were the House of Hard work, Loyalty, and Fair-play, it made sense that something like this would be so insulting.

The Quidditch teams, minus Slytherin, had also been called to Madam Hooches office on Sunday morning. There, they had been informed of the Slytherin teams fate, and warned that such actions (sabotaging another team) would not be tolerated and that should any of them be caught doing anything similar, they would meet the same fate. What happened Saturday would also go on their record, meaning that no Quidditch scout would ever consider them for the professional teams. They didn't want people who would sabotage other teams and potentially ruin their teams reputations and/or risk getting the team kicked out of the league for unsportsmanlike conduct.

He was now dragging Hermione, under the Cloak, up to the seventh floor where Severus told him they were to meet. She had not been happy about being dragged away from her homework, especially without being told what was going on, and she was trying to fight him to get her answers. She just would not accept the explanation that he would tell her when they got there, he didn't want anyone to overhear. When he told Ron about it, Ron had asked if he could come with, but Harry hadn't been sure if Severus would appreciate that, so he told his red-haired friend that he would ask. He made no promises though.

He had asked her to take a walk with him, and she protested at being taken away from her homework, but he got her out of the common room anyway. Which is when he pulled out the Cloak and she started to fight him, she didn't want to be dragged away from her homework just to go around breaking rules. When they finally arrived, he finally had enough and, noticing that they were alone in a corridor with no portraits, pulled off the Cloak and yelled at her to just stop asking questions for once and just trust him. "I told you, you would get your answers when we arrived, and weren't in a crowded common room where everybody thinks they have a right to stick their noses in my business." He finished with, annoyed.

She just stood there, stunned. It didn't last long though, she had just opened her mouth to tell him off when Severus arrived. "Good, alright, just let me access the Room, and I will explain about it once we are out of the open." He said, somewhat distracted. He was busy casting his magic out to scan the area and make sure they weren't followed, detected, or otherwise being spied on. When he found nothing and nobody, he started pacing in front of the wall, causing the two pre-teens to look at him oddly. Hermione gasped when the door appeared out of nowhere, which made him turn to smirk at her.

"Welcome, to the Room of Requirement." He said, opening the door and letting the children in first. When they went in, Harry wasn't surprised to see it looking something like the training room in his trunk. Minus the Muggle equipment and plus a Potions area in the corner... although he was curious about what this room was and where it came from. Hermione looked confused, what was up with the training room? Why did Harry drag her here, and why was Professor Snape here?

Severus looked around in satisfaction. Yes, this would do nicely. He quickly asked the Room for some chairs and conjured up some tea. Miss Granger was stubborn, this conversation would probably take a while. "As I said, this is the Room of Requirement. The Elves call it the Come-And-Go-Room, because it is only appears when it is needed. It will appear as whatever you need it to be. Potions Lab, training room, Lily and I used to ask for a lake and we would go swimming in here all the time." He informed Harry. "I believe it has been used as a Quidditch pitch in the past as well." He said, thinking about how James and Sirius once had a Seeker battle (despite neither of them being Seekers) while he, Lily, and Remus watched, (Pettigrew was in detention for something) and watched as Harry's eyes lit up in interest.

"What is going on?" Hermione asked quietly, she didn't want to be demanding of one of her teachers, but she was really confused and really wanted to know what was happening. Why did Harry drag her up here, and why was Professor Snape here? Last she checked, Harry and Professor Snape hated each other.

Severus looked at the girl and studied her for a minute before he sighed. "We are here, Miss Granger, because there have been concerns voiced that you are the kind who trusts blindly and refuses to consider that those who are in charge are anything less than perfect. I suppose you could call this an intervention, of sorts." He said, and when she only looked more confused, he continued. "You have been told repeatedly of things that are happening, you have read the _Daily Prophet_ and refuse to believe any of what it says about Albus Dumbledore. Even when Harry and Mr. Longbottom have both said it was true. The concern here, is that as long as you continue to blindly trust him and defend all his actions, you can not be trusted with important information regarding your friends. There are things happening, things that Harry is currently involved in, things that have been set in motion that, if discovered by the wrong people before we are ready, will put a lot of people, Harry especially, in a lot of danger." He said, watching Hermione.

It took her a moment to start protesting. "But, Professor Dumbledore is a great man, a great wizard! He's done so many amazing things, and he's the Leader of the Light!" She protested. "If he did anything, then he did it for a good reason, besides, I'm sure its all a misunderstanding, and if someone would just ask him, he would explain!" She insisted.

"That's exactly it, right there. You won't even consider the possibility that he's not great and good, that he's not the kind of man he likes to portray." Harry said softly. Hermione turned to him and opened her mouth to berate him, but stopped when she saw the pain and hurt in his eyes. "You trust him over us, over me, your friends. When he has given you no reason to, while we have given you every reason to." He said quieter.

Hermione started, then blinked, then tried a different tact. "But, he's the Headmaster. An adult, we're supposed to trust him. Besides, if he wasn't good, then why is he in charge of Magical Britain's children?"

"Simple, he manipulated, schemed, and put on a facade. Miss Granger, one thing you have to learn, is that just because somebody is an adult and is in a position of authority does not mean they can be trusted. They may have gotten there through dishonest means, or maybe after they got there they let the position go to their head and started thinking of themselves as above the law. In Dumbledore's case, its the former." Severus said, watching Hermione, just from her arguments, he found her to be a little naive and extremely sheltered to the way the world worked.

The girl stared at him for a moment, and in that moment he was tempted to use Legilimancy to figure out what the girl was thinking, but then she looked away and said, "Say you are right, why should I trust you then? Obviously Harry does, for some reason, but how do we know that you aren't tricking him like you are claiming Professor Dumbledore tricked everyone else?"

Severus nodded in approval while Harry frowned, the girl was thinking for herself for a change. "Simple, I am Harry's godfather, and I have also been helping the Goblins and the Head of the DMLE run their quiet investigation on the old man for years. The investigation that has just been officially opened? It has been unofficially ongoing for going on eight years now. Unfortunately, all we have so far is financials." He was still annoyed by that, but now that there was an official investigation, they would be able to look into his past outside the bank now.

Hermione frowned again, "Your not Harry's godfather, Harry's godfather is Sirius Black." She said suspiciously, she then started slowly inching towards Harry, watching Severus carefully.

Severus smirked. "You honestly think, that with everything going on, that it was safe for that kind of information to be handed out to the public? Especially when both Harry and I are both in the same castle as Albus Dumbledore? I have been working with Amelia Bones for years now, she knew not to read that information out when she read the wills in front of the Wizengamot." He watched her carefully again. It looked like she was ready... "Now, would you like to hear the full story?" He asked. Hermione stared between the two for a moment, struggling with herself.

On the one hand, Harry was her best friend, and she trusted him. On the other, this kind of talk against the Headmaster went against everything she'd ever been taught growing up. She was taught to trust adults, to trust authority figures. Which, Professor Snape _was_ an authority figure, but... he wasn't the highest authority in the school. She looked at Harry again, saw the hurt in his eyes that she even had to consider this... when she realized that it wasn't even a question. She could always trust Harry. And Harry obviously trusted Professor Snape. Now, she would have to see the full copy of the Wills later on, just to verify for herself and so she could start to plan, but...

She nodded. She wanted to know. She wanted to know everything.

* * *

Arthur sat at his desk in his study at home and sighed. Honestly, he should have written this letter weeks ago. As soon as they learned the truth about their Family Vaults and the fact that Charlie was likely the Heir to the Prewett line. But, he kept putting it off. Whether it was work, or trying to organize some of what Quickjaw sent him when it became clear that he wasn't going to be able to get off work for a while. And then, the whole thing with Sca- Pettigrew happened... He just kept putting it off. He kept putting off Owling Charlie and asking him if he could take some time off to come home and take care of some Family business, he honestly wasn't sure if he just didn't want to take his second eldest away from his beloved dragons, or if he just wanted to crawl in a hole and hide until the world regained some semblance of normalcy and sanity again.

The past few weeks had been long, and exhausting.

Amelia had gotten with him earlier that morning to let him know that she had an idea on how to find out where those missing reports went to. Because, honestly, it didn't matter how small the reports, or how much they didn't seem to matter (Boy, did they matter, not only was Muggle-baiting dangerous for the Muggles, it put the Statute of Secrecy at risk!) but the fact that reports and files weren't making it to her desk where they were supposed to be, pointed to one of two things.

1\. A cover-up. Somebody was stealing files to keep somebody else out of trouble. And if it was happening with Arthur's reports, then who knows how many other reports have gone 'missing' over the years, and what they were about. Another possibility with this was that somebody within the department was getting 'supplemental pay'. Which was a serious offense and would result in their immediate job termination, followed by a full investigation and possible imprisonment.

2\. A possible hole in department security. Either somehow they were getting stolen by somebody outside the department before reaching Amelia's desk, or they were getting stolen right off her desk before she had a chance to see them. Which was bad. Obviously. And if they were getting into office, then they had to figure out how they knew when certain reports would be there, and how they were getting in past all the Aurors outside.

So, tomorrow he had to deal with that. He sighed again and picked up his quill and frowned, he was going to need to get a new one. He meant to pop into Diagon on his way home and grab a new quill set, but decided not to. He was hungry, he was tired, and he had just wanted to come home to his lovely wife's cooking. After which he was planning to spend a quiet evening with his wife, but then he remembered he yet to Owl Charlie. Or rather, Molly asked if he did it yet and wouldn't let him eat until he wrote. He was just pulling a piece of parchment towards himself (he was going to have to get more of that, too, they were running low) when there was a quiet knock on the door.

He frowned, but called for them to come in, thinking it was Molly. This was the only room in the house where she wasn't really allowed, mostly because some nights he ended up bringing his work home with him, and sometimes his work was sensitive and for his and his department Head's (Amelia's) eyes only (his office was in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement after all). He didn't want her accidentally seeing something that could get her in trouble, so he just asked her to stay out and knock before coming in. This was the only room in the house that anybody knocked before coming into.

He was surprised when, instead of Molly, it was Charlie. He blinked for a second before glancing at the quill and parchment in his hand and looking back up at his son, who was watching with a raised eyebrow. Finally, when his brain caught up with what he was seeing, he got up and went to hug his son. "Charlie! I wasn't expecting you to be home, I thought you were still in Romania." He said.

Charlie grinned and hugged his father back. "I got an Owl from Bill asking if I could take some time and come home for a bit. He said you had been meaning to write, but that a lot has been happening lately? But he refused to write about it, said you would tell me when I got here."

Arthur stared for a moment, before he snorted and shook his head fondly. "That boy," He murmured and huffed a laugh. Ever since Bill graduated, he'd been finding little ways to make things easier on his father. Even when his work took him to Egypt. He didn't try to send money though, mainly because he knew his father would just send it back. But they all knew that a couple of Bill's paychecks could easily see them able to buy all knew clothes, fix up the house like new, and still have plenty left over for a couple of family vacations. Goblins may not like wizards much, mostly because of the lack of respect wizards in general had for them, but they paid their wizard employees well.

Charlie grinned knowingly and shook his head before coming further into the room and closing the door behind him. "So, what has happened? Bill hinted at something to do with our Family vaults?" He asked. He was a little confused, because the last he knew that his grandfather lost those vaults.

"Yes." Arthur sighed as he sat down. He debated briefly, and decided to give his son the quick version. "Turns out, we never lost the vaults gambling. They just... dried up very suddenly, no explanation. Of course, now we know how it happened, but... My father's memory was modified, after the fact, making him believe he lost it all gambling. In reality, he borrowed money from the Malfoys to pay off the debts that appeared with the drain, and to keep us afloat until the vaults recovered, which they have. Now that we have access to our Vaults again, we also have the our Lordship back. Of course, I'm still meeting with people about getting the Wizengamot's decision regarding our family overturned, we should never have been kicked off... and to get the Ministry out of our Family seats." He scowled. "So, Bill is officially Heir Weasley, which means you get the Prewitt family Heirship. And then the Lordship whenever you are ready." He finished.

Charlie sat there gaping at his father. When they lost their seats on the Wizengamot, they were knocked out of the running for the Prewitt family Lordship, even though it belonged to them by birth since Molly was the only child left of the last Lord Prewitt. When the family was kicked out of their Family Seats, it became forbidden for anybody bearing the name Weasley to ever sit on the Wizengamot again, no matter what seats they were using. They hadn't even been able to change their name so they could still claim their Prewitt seats since they made sure that loophole was closed. Arthur couldn't even go in his capacity as the Office Head for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. Instead, he had a trustworthy Auror assigned to him just for the purpose of proposing his laws to the Wizengamot.

Their Aunt Muriel had been sitting as the Lady Regent Prewitt since her husband died not long after the Weasley's lost everything. With the rightful Heirs unable to claim the title, seats, and vaults, she had nobody to pass it on to, and she refused to give it to some of the cousins. According to her, she would rather let the line die out and the fortune be locked away until the goblins reclaimed it than let any of 'those greedy pigs' get ahold of it.

Arthur smiled slightly at his sons expression. "Yes, after you claim it, you will need to speak with your Aunt, if you want to claim the Lordship, you will probably have to wait until I get the House Weasley reinstated on the Wizengamot, just to avoid the headache some of them will try to cause. Of course, you should probably also learn how to be a Lord... speak their 'language', so to speak... that way you don't embarrass yourself... or accidentally start a feud..." He said thoughtfully. He had taught his oldest boys about politics (the younger four hadn't been interested), of course, and he taught Bill all he could about the proper etiquette and all that stuff... since Bill was the Weasley Heir, even if at the time Arthur thought that that would never mean anything ever again. And all his other children knew how to behave of course, but there was a way of speaking, of holding yourself. And of course, every conversation had the potential of becoming a verbal war-zone.

One wrong word at the wrong time, or taken the wrong way... Blood Feuds had been started in the past over one word. Or one statement taken wrong or out of context.

"But, what about my dragons? Would I still be able to work on the reserve?" Charlie asked. He didn't want to give up his job just like that!

Arthur blinked, then he chuckled, he had forgotten about that. "Of course. If you want to do both jobs yourself, that would be up to you, it would mean you would have to get a permanent Portkey to and from Magical Britain, of course. Or, if you wanted you could appoint a proxy, someone you trust, to handle most of the political work while you just pop in once in a while. No, you don't have to give up your dragons. Don't worry, I know that has always been your dream job." He said with a reassuring smile. As much as Molly disapproved of and worried over one of her sons having such a dangerous job, she wouldn't stand in the way of him doing something he loved. Now, if only he could get her off the Twins back about their dream of opening a joke shop... he knew she was just worried that it would never work, which would leave them jobless, and broke.

He personally thought they would easily be able to put Zonko's out of business when they were older. And, of course, now that the Weasley fortune was back, he would be able to provide start-up funds.

Charlie nodded. "Alright, then. I'll go to Gringotts tomorrow. Who should I ask to see?"

"Ask to see Quickjaw. He's the Weasley Account Manager." Arthur told his son.

Charlie nodded, then grinned and stood up. "Well, I don't know about you, dad, but I'm hungry, and its been a while since I had any of moms cooking." He said with a slight smirk. Molly had told him when he came in that Arthur wasn't allowed to eat until he wrote that letter to Charlie. His father growled at him playfully before following him to the kitchen, wrapping an arm around his shoulders as he went.

Tonight, he would spend with his family. Tomorrow, he would go back to work. House Weasley was going to make a come-back, and they would take their rightful place again within the Potter Alliance as Secondaries. If Harry would have them, of course.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore was furious.

The Board of Governors had just left his office. They had apparently spent the last few days talking, and debating about what to do. What to do about HIM. And they had finally come to a decision.

He, Albus Dumbledore, Leader of the Light, Defeater of Grindlewald, Hogwarts Headmaster, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards; was now forbidden to be alone in a room with a student, and any and all authority pertaining to punishments was now stripped. And then they informed him that they were considering probation if he didn't prove to them that he wasn't a danger to the students and that he could do his job properly.

How dare they try and tell him what they could and couldn't do in his own school! They couldn't dictate him like that, they were his students, he could do what he wanted with them! (What he didn't know was that Fawkes had heard the whole conversation and relayed it to Hogwarts. She would make sure Albus followed the Board's orders. Whether he liked it or not. Unfortunately, even doing this little amount strained the bindings Albus had on the Phoenix, and he needed to sleep for a while and recover his strength.)

They said they had read the _Prophet,_ both article about Black's unlawful imprisonment and the one about Albus drawing his wand on Amelia Bones (honestly, if they had just asked him, he would have explained that he was just trying to erect a privacy ward, not that that was what he was actually doing...), they had then spoken with Bones about the incident, as well as a Mind Healer, and they had come to the conclusion that the _Prophet_ raised too many disturbing questions for them to ignore. And then, of course, they heard about the forgery ring found in his school, and his attempts to make the other teachers let the students off with just a warning.

They seemed to feel that the safety, well-being, and behavior of the students came before any personal feelings they may have for him! Ridiculous! (Especially with men like Lucius Malfoy also on the Board. If that man wasn't so useful to his political work... not that Lucius knew it was Albus Dumbledore he was doing so much legwork for, of course).

At first, he had thought that they were there to reinforce his position that half the students being on probation for a bit of teenage rebellion was just too harsh, but then they started going on about how the other teachers had the right of it and he should just leave them be! About how if they weren't punished for it now, then they would grow to learn that such behavior was acceptable in society, and that to be on probation now, was better than them ending up in Azkaban later.

Half those students were just as Dark and evil as their parents, and if they refused to come over to the Light, then all they were was pawns in the grand scheme of things. Really, Azkaban was the only place the Dark and evil deserved. So, they would still be ending up there eventually.

But still! How dare they go against him! First the issue of Black getting his trial and the Potter Wills being read, then the _Prophet_ started questioning him, then all of a sudden they ALL started questioning him!

He sat down at his desk and put his head in his hands, outwardly looking like a tired old man to anyone that would bother coming in (not that they would), and tried to think about what he could do to stop all this nonsense of questioning him. Maybe he should dose Potter again, and even up the dosage of the Loyalty and Compulsion potions. Just to be on the safe side. Yes, that would do for a start. And of course, he still had to arrange an accident for the Auror that took his wand, he had to get the Elder Wand back! (He had finally found his original wand, but it didn't work for him as well as it used to when he was younger.) Then, he would let everything die down before he made his next move. He also needed to look into having Sirius Black silenced... permanently. The Goblins had refused to let him in to see the man (he needed to check that his charm-work was still holding and reapply what was needed, but if he couldn't do that, then he would just have to get rid of the man. He couldn't have him influencing the Potter brat away from him. Besides, he needed access to the Potter vaults. There were things in there he needed, books that only he would know what to do with, that he couldn't trust in the hands of the Potter brat.)

He would play along though, and be obedient... for now. But they would soon learn that one did not go up against Albus Dumbledore.

Even half-asleep, Fawkes still glared at the old man in front of him, and made a mental reminder to get a warning out somehow. Later, for now, he was tired.

* * *

Hermione sat quietly, trying to wrap her mind around what she just heard. What they just told her, was absurd! It was insane! Why would Professor Dumbledore do anything like that?! But, she never knew Harry to lie to her. And, what reason could he have for lying about this? The only thing she could think of was if Professor Snape was tricking him into believing all this, but... if he had the goblins and the Head of the DMLE in on this too... and everyone knew how shrewd the goblins were and how much they detested thieves and lawbreakers. They were very intelligent creatures, even if the Purebloods liked to think otherwise.

She couldn't believe this, this destroyed everything she thought she knew about the Headmaster. She had seen him as a kind, grandfatherly figure ever since she saw him at her Sorting Feast. She wanted to deny everything, continue living in her little bubble, defend the Headmaster, but she saw the truth in Harry's eyes.

She saw the anger, the hurt, the betrayal. She could see it all. And she knew that if she tried to keep defending him, she would hurt Harry, and they might never be the same as they were right now.

It made her stop and think about everything she had ever been taught by her parents growing up.

1) Always trust authority figures _unless they give you every reason not to_. She realized that when she was defending the Headmaster, without even stopping to think, she had defended herself by saying that her parents taught her to trust those in authority, but she forgot to think about whether or not everything in the papers was reason enough for her not to trust him.

Now that she thought about it, it wasn't reason. It was every reason for her to turn away from him. Instead, she had trusted and defended him blindly. The very thing her parents taught her NOT to do.

2) When you find true friends, never turn your back on them. In trusting the headmaster blindly over him, she was turning her back on.

3) Never abandon your family. She was coming to see Harry as a brother-figure, and she almost abandoned him.

4) Always think for yourself. She liked to think she thought for herself very well, but since the troll incident, since she became friends with Ron and Harry, she could admit that she was probably a little to dependent on books for her answers sometimes.

There was more, obviously, but those were the big lessons, the ones they instilled in her probably even before she could understand language.

Finally, she looked up at her best friend again. "It's a little hard to believe, but... if you're obviously caught up in all this... and you've never lied to me before... What is being done about him?" She asked.

Harry smiled at her, and she almost broke seeing the relief in it. He had really been worried over this, and that made her mad at herself for putting him through that. Severus smiled slightly too, just enough for her to see it, which of course made her have to recover from the shock of seeing him smiling, let alone at her and Harry.

"Well, for now we are leaving it all up to the newspapers. After the investigation is over, Madam Bones will act, and we want to make sure his supporters are gone, that way he has less chance of worming his way out of trouble." Harry started.

"I am also making sure that, if he tries anything to get control of the situation back, that our people are safe. I wouldn't put it past him to be planning a few disappearances, to make all this go away. He has done it in the past. Whenever somebody starts to raise questions, he arranges something, makes them disappear, or, if they are too public a figure, makes them forget they ever questioned him and then convinces them back to his way of thinking. Or, he outright blackmails them or threatens their family if they don't play along. I am also training Harry, both in things he should already know if he had grown up with Sirius and I as he should have, and in honing his natural talents." Severus said.

"Hence the training room." Hermione said. She was reeling over what Severus had said about Albus Dumbledore arranging accidents and disappearances. She was a little naive about the way the world worked, but even she knew what that meant.

Severus nodded before he checked the time. "It is getting late. Harry, did Mr. Wood give you a schedule yet?" Harry nodded and handed it over. His practice days were mainly going to be Saturday mornings, Mondays, Tuesday before dinner, Wednesdays, and some strategy in the common room on Fridays. Plus whenever Wood decided to hold strategy meetings outside of that. They had Sunday and Thursday off, probably because Minerva wouldn't allow Wood to work his team every night. (She had actually threatened his captain-ship if he didn't give his team at least two nights a week to themselves. So they could do some homework and spend time with friends.)

He nodded again. "I will see you in here on Thursday after dinner then, we will start with testing your Occlumency shields, so make sure you work on them before then. Well, you should always be working on them, I will see you in the Great Hall tomorrow for breakfast. I have the latest batch of your nutrient potions brewed, Mipsy will, as usual have it beside your plate." He said as he led Harry and Hermione to the door.

"Ok, night Uncle Sev." Harry said as he slipped the Cloak on over himself and Hermione, who was lost in thought.

"Good-night, Harry. Get some sleep." Severus said before he swept off back to the dungeons.

* * *

Kingsley Shacklebolt sat back in his chair and sighed before running a hand over his head. So far, all he had been looking through for the past few days was the information that the Goblins had apparently supplying Madam Bones with, which was just financials. Just one of these reports on his desk was enough for Albus Dumbledore to be sentenced to the Mines for life in the Goblin courts. Unfortunately, (or fortunately, depending on who you asked) his status as the Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwump protected him from that fate.

Once he was done going over the information from Gringotts, he would still need to start investigating things from the wizarding side. The Goblins may have been documenting his actions for years and giving them to Amelia, but without it being an official investigation, all Amelia could really do was hold onto the reports and wait until she found an opportunity to open up an official investigation, she couldn't even ask a few unofficial questions without risking word getting back to her superiors that she was asking around about such an important member of the community, or worse, Dumbledore himself.

After reading these financial reports of several cases of Dumbledore draining entire family fortunes dry, he didn't even want to imagine just what lengths Dumbledore would go to in order to silence somebody asking questions he didn't want. Honestly, he just got done reading the report about Dumbledore draining the Weasley Vaults!

Everyone in the wizarding world knew they lost their vaults gambling, they even got kicked off the Wizengamot over it! Septimus Weasley even confessed under Veritaserum! But, these reports said otherwise. Which meant... memory charms and modification.

Memory modification was almost impossible to detect. At least, by wizarding Healers. The Goblins could detect it no problem, but none of the Wizengamot, at least not the Dark and even most of the Light, would ever allow a Goblin to check them for anything. Memory charms were rather easy, mostly because the memory was still there, it was just locked away. Any skilled enough Legilimens would be able to find it easily. It would be breaking through that was the hard and dangerous part. Dangerous for the patient, not the Legilimens. But memory modification... that took a memory, and twisted it. It was still there, and anybody looking would never be able to spot the difference unless they were there in person and what they were seeing in the memory didn't match up with what actually happened. So, because there was nothing obviously wrong, it was more difficult to detect.

So, that was at least Septimus Weasley and Lucius Malfoy (Abraxus Malfoy's father, the current Lucius Malfoy's grandfather) that had their memory modified. Because even the then Lord Malfoy had testified that Septimus Weasley had been gambling, that the Malfoy family had lent money, and that even that money had been gambled away. But, according to the reports again, yes, the Malfoys lent money. But, that was through an agreement and understanding that it was only to pay off the sudden debts that came out of the vault suddenly being drained. The debt had been paid off over the years, and the Weasley Vaults were now running fully.

Kingsley ran his hand over his face again and prepared himself mentally for a long investigation, with little to no time spent at home with his wife. When he went home that night he would have to explain that, because he was usually home for supper every night unless an emergency popped up, Amelia was really good about trying to make sure those in her department that had families still got time with them. Well, it seemed he wouldn't be home for supper a whole lot in the coming months. He would have to plan something to make it up to her... probably take her on that vacation she'd been wanting for a while now. If he asked, Amelia would probably give him time off for it after this whole mess was over. Probably as a mixture of apology for taking him away from his family and a thank you for all his work.

Then he frowned. He would also have to speak with her about getting some new wards set up around his home and possibly a protective detail. Once word got out that Amelia had put him in charge of this investigation, and judging from these financial reports, he wouldn't put it past Dumbledore... he would also have to go and review his vault security measures with his manager, and make sure Dumbledore couldn't somehow get in and drain HIS vault dry. Because, also in the reports, was the constant question of how Dumbledore did it. Oh, they knew it was him, they managed to track the money trails, it took them a long time, and they had to backtrack a lot to straighten it out, but they finally tracked where the money all went, but what they couldn't figure out was HOW.

He glanced at the time and swore. He was late for supper, again. He better get home, he had told her that he was in charge of the investigation, but when he told her that, he hadn't thought there would be so much information. He narrowed his eyes and thought for a minute, that jeweler in Diagon should still be open... he would stop in, buy an apology gift. Hopefully he wouldn't be on the couch tonight for missing supper without telling her, again.

He knew how much she worried when that happened.


	21. Chapter 21

_He nodded again. "I will see you in here on Thursday after dinner then, we will start with testing your Occlumency shields, so make sure you work on them before then. Well, you should always be working on them, I will see you in the Great Hall tomorrow for breakfast. I have the latest batch of your nutrient potions brewed, Mipsy will, as usual have it beside your plate." He said as he led Harry and Hermione to the door._

 _"Ok, night Uncle Sev." Harry said as he slipped the Cloak on over himself and Hermione, who was lost in thought._

 _"Good-night, Harry. Get some sleep." Severus said before he swept off back to the dungeons._

* * *

Bill breathed a sigh of relief. They'd finally, _finally_ solved the problem presented by the portrait of one Walburga Black.

Mentally, he was also cursing the Horcrux rune-sets for going off a mere half-hour after Sirius used his Lordship ring to deactivate the majority of the security wards around Grimmauld Place and Black Manor so the teams could get in, assess the house, and begin work on cleansing and renovating it. They would layer their own wards over the properties while they worked, and then when they were done, their wards would come down while Sirius raised his family wards again.

As soon as the runes went off and he saw which property it was, he ran to find the goblin in charge of that team and got himself added to it easily enough, all it took was him saying that the rune-sets went off.

Now... they hadn't been expecting an easy time of it in that house. This was the Black family, after all, and this house had stood vacant for years, who knew what kind of pests had made it their home, not to mention how much ambient magic would have twisted things and made them more lethal. It happened. However, they were expecting to at least make it past the entrance hall.

 _When they landed from the Portkey and Grimmauld Place appeared, one contractor whistled , while another looked like he might cry at the state the house was in, and another looked like a kid who'd just been told to run while in a candy shop (yes, the house was in ruins, they could tell just by looking at the outside, but... he was looking forward to fixing it up to its former glory. After seeing what the extent of the damage was, of course... That, and the paycheck they would be getting for this job...)._

 _"Shall we go in, gentlemen? And lady." The head goblin, Grindaxe, asked. The lone woman on the team, Olivia Yaxley, lost her glare and nodded in satisfaction. Bill shook his head, she was one of the better Curse-Breakers he'd seen since he came back to England. He'd seen a few that were... kind of pathetic, to be honest. He doubted that they would be employed with the bank for much longer if they didn't get their act together. Honestly, he was surprised they had been employed in the first place... but maybe they had shown more promise during their employment tests. Yes, the Goblins tested their potential employees extensively before even considering their applications._

 _He shook his head, bringing himself out of his thoughts when the team moved towards the door. They were going to go in slow and carefully, they had no idea what to expect in a decrepit house of the Black Family. Especially when Sirius told them that the main properties, Grimmauld Place and Black Manor, were where most of the Black and Dark Magic artifacts were mostly kept. That kind of magic tended to seep into the environment around it, and mutate over time if left on its own. Which was part of what made those magicks so dangerous sometimes, it had to be constantly monitored or it could become something it was not meant to be._

 _When they carefully opened the door, ready for anything to jump out an attack them, they waited for a few moments before Bill and another Curse-Breaker, Bill never got his name, cautiously led the way into the house, wands out and ready to defend themselves from anything. They were right to be cautious, as they were attacked by an umbrella stand made out of a troll's leg as soon as they set foot inside. Once it was taken care of, Bill muttered that it was like he never left Egypt. He was always being attacked by random objects like that, after all. After making sure nothing else in the hallway would attack them, they signaled that it was safe._

 _"You're an Egypt Curse-Breaker?" The other guy, he should really find out his name, asked, shocked._

 _Bill turned to him, and nodded, raising an eyebrow in question._

 _"A tomb-raider?" Again, Bill nodded. "But, then what are doing back in boring England?"_

 _Ah, now he understood. To be assigned to Egypt was considered the pinnacle of a Curse-Breaking career when working for Gringotts. The Ancient Egyptians left behind so much, not just gold and treasure, but spell knowledge, some of the curses they had guarding their tombs... They were amazing. Nothing could compare to them, and the fact that knowledge of them had been lost centuries ago, just made the job all that harder. To find scrolls about those spells, intact scrolls, could actually earn you a bigger payday than any amount of treasure found. "Something was discovered here in England that I happen to be an expert in dealing with, because of how often I've come across it in the tombs." Bill said with a shrug. "So, until it's dealt with, I've been reassigned to England. Once I'm done, I'll probably be heading back to Egypt, back to my tombs." He explained._

 _They would have continued their conversation while the contractors finished their assessment of the hallway, to determine if the floor was safe to walk on, but they were interrupted by a loud shrieking. All the Curse-Breakers immediately turned towards the sound, but saw nothing except for a single portrait. The woman in the portrait honestly looked like a woman who had gotten on the wrong side of an Ancient Egyptian curse._

 _Her skin was yellowing, her eyes were rolling, and she was drooling. Not to mention she was screaming. It didn't help any that she woke up the rest of the portraits in the hall with her noise, either._

 _She was just screaming and screaming about them being filth, scum, beasts, and what were they doing in the home of her ancestors? It was very loud and headache inducing._

 _In the end, it was Olivia who stepped forward and showed her family crest to get her to shut up. The Yaxley's were an old, neutral Pureblood family, which made Olivia the highest ranking person socially in the group, (At least until the Weasley's were granted their Lordship back and since the Yaxley's and Black's ran in the same circles). Sure enough, as soon as she saw the crest, she shut up, mostly out of shock that somebody from such an old family was in the company of blood-traitors, Muggleborns, and Goblins. Now that she was quiet, Olivia took the contract from Grindaxe to show the portrait. Normally, they wouldn't bother with portraits, but sometimes, the portraits belonging to old families still retained some level of control over the family wards, mostly the inner house wards, like the ones that controlled which rooms were available to visitors, or if the rooms could be accessed by anyone at all. It was just another function of family portraits, they acted as an extra security measure on the off chance that somebody actually got through the main wards on the property._

 _Which basically meant that they had to get the cooperation of Walburga Black if they wanted to get past here to start their work. Personally, just from what he heard about her, Bill didn't think they stood a chance. Normally, a portrait would see the contract, know that the team was there on account of and with permission from the Lord of the House, and they would open up the house to the team, while keeping an eye on them to make sure the team didn't try any funny business._

 _But in this case... considering Walburga Black disowned the current Lord Black..._

 _Yeah, she refused to open the house up to them. None of the other portraits would over-ride her control, either. Apparently, the House-elf that was here was fanatically loyal to her, and, if asked, he would destroy them. She'd already had Orion Black's portrait in Grimmauld destroyed when he would not stop going on about his only remaining son being in Azkaban, which was exactly where she thought he belonged._

 _"We can't leave this hallway, she's closed the house off to us. We need Lord Black here, then control of the inner wards will leave the portraits and revert back to him." One of the contractors said._

 _Bill and the other Curse-Breakers and Goblins sighed in defeat. "That's never going to happen, he's still in the Gringotts Hospital. The Healers won't release him unless he's healed. They certainly won't allow him anywhere near this place... all this Black Magic in the air..." Bill said, looking around uneasily. He could practically taste the Black and Dark Magic in the air, the house was saturated in it._

 _No wonder the Black Family was known for being insane. If they lived here._

 _It would be affecting them if it weren't for the protective amulets the Curse-Breakers all wore and forced onto the contractors. The Goblins weren't as affected as the wizards were._

 _Bill glanced at the portrait and sighed, "We're just going to have to destroy her connection with the wards." He said. "We'll destroy the portrait if we have to. Considering what I've heard, I don't think Lord Black will mind that much." He said dryly. He got a few chuckles at least._

 _Grindaxe looked down in thought, and when he looked up he nodded at Bill to begin, Bill nodded back and motioned for the others to follow his lead as he turned back to the troublesome portrait. While they did that, Grindaxe told the contractors to go ahead and start their assessment as well as they could from the hallway. They nodded in agreement, looking around, before they spread out throughout the hall, casting spells and testing the walls and floors sturdiness by hand, even asking the 'friendlier' portraits about the condition of the house from what they could see as they moved around through the portraits. By friendly, they meant those portraits willing to work with them because of the contract._

 _Unfortunately... they didn't get very far with undoing her connection before she realized what was happening and called for a 'Kreature'. Who naturally turned out to be the fanatically loyal House-elf. How on earth was the little creature still alive? While he was a Black House-elf, he was also Walburga's personal elf, bonded to her first and the family second (although any order given by the Lord of House would trump any order she gave), when she died, he would have had to find another of the Black Family to either bond with or get them to free him from the family. Since he had clearly done neither, he should have died not long after she did, well, unless he fed off the wards all this time. Well, alive or not, the creature was clearly insane and affected by the magicks saturating the house rather negatively._

 _"Throw this filth out of here, Kreature, and don't let them come back in." Walburga ordered the elf._

 _The Curse-Breakers looked at each other, now they were just getting annoyed. Very, very annoyed._

 _Olivia once again showed the contract. "We are here by order of Lord Sirius Orion Black, the Master of your House, to cleanse and renovate this property. You can't kick us out of anywhere because we have permission to be here from your Master. His orders trump hers." She said firmly, hoping that the bond he held to the Family would compel him to obey them over her. Especially since they held the contract in their hands and he would be able to sense Lord Black's magic in it._

 _The blasted elf was fanatical enough to completely disregard the contract and the fact that it counted as a direct order from his Master in regards to leaving them be for their work._

 _When it was clear the elf didn't care about the contract, Bill pulled his wand out to Stun him, but the creature used magic of his own to shield himself, and continued to try and eject them all from the house as the other Curse-Breakers joined him in trying to Stun him. They couldn't hurt him, he was a House-elf belonging to another family, it was rude and could actually reflect back on their families negatively. As in, the curse itself could affect them as well as the elf in question if they did anything but Stun. It was part of how the bond worked. Stunning was allowed by the bond in case of family elves attacking Auror's or other law enforcement on their Master's command. Auror's needed to be able to do their jobs after all. The original wizards who bound the elves to service knew what they were doing when they created the fail-safes that protected the elves._

 _One of the Curse-Breakers had accidentally fired off a different spell, that would have been decidedly lethal had it hit, when another elf popped in, saw what was going on, and Stunned Kreature for them. This elf, also, looked a little worse for wear due to the lack of family to take care of these past years and strengthen the Bond, but not nearly as bad as Kreature. Just in case, they kept their wands out. When Walburga started screaming at the new elf to get rid of the filth, the elf apparently took that to mean Kreature, because he laid a hand on him and Apparated out with a soft 'pop'._

 _When he came back, he covered Walburga's portrait with a heavy, thick curtain and silenced it. Only then, did he turn to the team and bow slightly. "I's apologize for Kreature's behavior's, sirs. I be's Mattie, I's being Head Elf of House Black. The other team be at Black Manor, and they's being telling us that you's be here's. I's be breaking orders by's being here's, but I's felt I's needed here's, sirs." The Curse-Breakers relaxed then, and the elf looked around at the hallway and gasped in shock and horror at what he saw._

 _"Oh, no's, Kreature being bad elf, Kreature not being taking care of house, no's, Kreature not being doing his job." The elf gasped, horrified at the condition of the house._

 _Bill decided to take control. "Mattie," He said, getting the elf's attention again, "You said you were breaking your orders by being here?" He asked._

 _Mattie looked like he was considering whether or not he could say, but did eventually say, "Master Arcturus being ordering all elves to stay away's from Grimmauld, that Mistress Walburga and Kreature being banished here, all other elves is to stay away. But I is coming back, I is feeling that sirs not being safe here with Kreature." The elf looked around again, "This being too much for elves to be's cleaning, sirs. Its being left too long." He said mournfully, looking around in dismay. House-elves were good, but not that good._

 _"We know, that is why our team is made up of Curse-Breakers and contractors. Lord Sirius Black has hired us to cleanse the house, and fix it up. Once the place is safe, I think he'll be getting a decorator in here." Bill said. The elf nodded._

 _"The other team be's saying the same, sirs. Black Manor is safe and clean though, we's be doing jobs like good elves." Mattie said with a firm nod._

 _Bill crooked a grin, he liked this elf. He would have thought that an elf of House Black would be a little more... stiff, and uptight. "We've run into a bit of a problem, though, Mattie." He said, and the elf looked up questioningly, so Bill pointed behind him at the curtains. "_ _We can't get the current Lord Black here, the Healers would never let him come._ _Walburga Black refuses to let us have access to the house. And apparently she has long since cowed the other portraits, none of them will over-ride her. Any way you can help with that?" He asked._

 _The elf looked considering, before he looked regretful and shook his head, "No's, Mattie can't take control of family wards. And Mattie can't be's severing portraits connection to wards." He lit up a little then, "But, Mattie can's be keeping Kreature away so you's can work. And Mattie can's be providing food while you's work, too, so's you won't be needing to leave and you's work be's uninterrupted." The little elf said, wanting to be as helpful as he could be, while they were here under contract, they were considered to be honored guests of House Black, he would make them as comfortable as he could._

 _The team was a little disappointed that the elf couldn't help with the current problem, but they understood why it wouldn't be allowed for the elf to mess with the wards, it was, after all, possible for an outsider to take control of a families elf and make them do things to hurt the family. Difficult and draining, but possible. A favorite in times past, was to make the elf lower the wards around the families house so attackers, or thieves could get in. Bill smiled at the elf, "That would be great, Mattie, thank you. If you could also provide our contractors with some of the information they need to know, too, that would probably be helpful. They need to know what they have to work with if they are going to make this place safe again." He said. The elf smiled happily and nodded._

 _Mattie was excited to have people to serve again, ever since Master Arcturus passed, none of the family elves had been called for again. None of the Young Mistresses had called in years, not since they all got married and started using their new families elves, Master Regulus was dead, Master Sirius was in prison, and all the older family members who still lived all had their own personal elves that they got assigned once they reached a certain age, they didn't need to call the family elves anymore. Now Master Sirius was free, and they had a manor and a townhouse full of honored guests who would make both building's once again reflect the glory that was House Black._

 _Yes, Mattie was very excited. Especially since he could feel through the Bond to the family that there was also a young Heir Black... it didn't matter that he was already twelve, family elves loved looking after and spoiling the younger members of the family._

 _Mattie popped out again, so he wasn't in their way, but then he popped in a moment later with a long table covered in drinks and snack foods. Good thing, too, because if they were going to separate a family portrait from its families wards, especially a family like the Blacks, they were going to need their energy. "If you's needing me, call." The elf said with another small bow before he popped away again, he was going to go check on Kreature. He'd popped the elf to a centaur Healer who also helped House-elves, so he was going to go make sure the old, insane elf was alright or... if it was Kreature's time. If it weren't for the fact that Master Sirius was in charge now, he would say that it was Kreature's time to join the row of stuffed elf heads in Grimmauld, but since Master Sirius was here, he was pretty sure that disgusting practice was going to end now._

For the past three days, the Curse-Breakers would take shifts. Three of them working on the portrait, the other three resting and fending off the occasional attacks from the house and making sure the pests the house was full of stayed away as well, as well as cleansing the hallway they were in. They knew there were doxies, and Cornish Pixies in here, they'd already had to fend off a group of Pixies three times, each time they disappeared again before they could catch more than one or two. Only to come back and try to bother them again a little while later.

Bill suspected that the ambient magic in the house 'mutated' them slightly, because Cornish Pixies were not supposed to be that dark a blue. Or this smart and strategic.

The contractors had left after the first day, they had gotten all they could from the hallway, so they'd gone to make tentative plans for what they would need and want to do while they waited for the Curse-Breakers to get past Walburga so they could actually see the rest of the house to get a more complete idea.

They'd been asked to call in the Office of Pests and Infestations within the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures while they were gone, the problem was worse than they'd thought it would be.

Now that Walburga was taken care of, they could call them back, the Curse-Breakers couldn't proceed without them saying it was safe. The bank wouldn't let them, they didn't want to lose Curse-Breakers to a house. They lost enough of them to the tombs due to carelessness.

Bill glanced back at the glaring portrait, then called Mattie to take her somewhere else. Now that her connection was severed, so was the Sticking Charm keeping her there, and he didn't want to deal with it anymore. She'd been very vocal the past few days. He was tired of it. And of her.

While they waited for the others to get back they talked to Mattie, mostly just to get an update on the other team while they had a chance. They were already done, all the artifacts that were cursed were already being cleansed in the Gringotts ritual rooms before being taken to the Black vaults for Sirius to walk through and decide what to do with them all later.

The contractors had already been given the go-ahead to start the necessary repairs, and Sirius had already contacted some of the elder Black members who still happened to be alive about checking on the wards once the Gringotts teams were done and he raised the family wards again. He said that they would know more about them, he'd been too young when he ran away to have been told the full extent of the family wards, he knew the basics, all Black children did. But it was considered a rite of passage for them to learn the full extent of them on their seventeenth birthday.

When the two came back, along with two Ministry officials, they started moving slowly through the house (after making sure the other portraits wouldn't cause trouble), with Mattie following. When asked, Mattie said he needed to see the extent so he would know how many elves to assign to aid the workers in Grimmauld (apparently when Walburga shut them out of the house, it included the House-elves).

When one of the contractors said that their company had its own elves, Mattie just stared at him, offended, until he cleared his throat uncomfortably and said that they were probably busy on other projects at the moment though, so any aid the Black elves could provide would be welcome. When the elf looked smug and went back on his way, he started grumbling about Slytherin elves. The others just laughed at him.

He'd been outwitted by a House-elf. They were normally obedient little creatures. Who knew?

It was slow going to get through the house, and if the other Curse-Breakers noticed Bill casting different detection charms than them, they didn't mention it. While they were just casting for cursed objects and to get an idea of how bad the saturation was, he was casting for the Horcrux.

He was getting very frustrated at not finding it- he knew it was in this house, blast it!- when he finally found it.

They were in the drawing room, and he started searching the desk while while the others started a cabinet full of cursed objects. When he didn't find it in the desk, he went to join them at the cabinet, and froze when Olivia reached for a locket.

Now that he was focusing on it, he could FEEL it, it felt just like the soul bit he removed from Harry, and again from the bit that was in Hufflepuff's cup.

His brain woke up and he yelled, "Don't touch that!" Just as Olivia's fingertips touched the locket.

All of them startled, she startled enough to knock the Horcrux off the shelf and onto the floor. She put her hand to her chest in an attempt to calm her heart rate down, "William Weasley! Don't do that!" She scolded, even as she backed away from the locket on the ground.

The guy Bill talked to when they first arrived in this filthy house- apparently his name was Dale- frowned and leaned down to pick up the locket. "Don't touch it!" Bill exclaimed again, slapping his hand away and kneeling down. He ignored the Ministry officials watching and started running his detection's again.

"But why? It's just a locket, it tested clean." Dale said, confused. Bill shook his head, but didn't answer. Dale would never make Egypt with that kind of mindset, you never assume something is clean after one set of detection's.

Instead he looked at Olivia. She'd done a year in Egypt before she just couldn't handle it anymore and transferred back to England. She should know better than to just pick stuff up with her bare hands. Although the mild compulsion on it might have helped her leave of senses. "Olivia, I realize there is a compulsion on this, but you don't just pick it up, you know better, you are trained to resist those." He said, pulling a stone box out of a pocket, there were runes carved in nearly every inch of it, runes to nullify magic. At the same time, he finished his charms, causing the locket to glow red.

An indicator of soul magic.

Dale, Olivia, and the other two Curse-Breakers all scrambled away with curses. They didn't want to be anywhere near that, they didn't want to risk being possessed, which could happen when unknown soul magicks were involved. They didn't recognize the detections Bill was casting, but it was drilled into their heads from day one of working at Gringotts, if something glows red, get away from it and call a Senior Breaker or the Goblin superior, whichever could get there the quickest. They were lucky right now, Bill just so happened to be a Senior Breaker and the Goblin superior was also in the room.

"What is that?" Dale exclaimed, he'd never seen a red before, merely heard about them and what it meant. (He was relatively new.)

Bill glanced at the Ministry officials before he answered. "For security purposes, I can't tell you EXACTLY what this is." He said, and they knew that he would be telling them if it weren't for the non-bank employees in the room, "However, this is what I was reassigned to England for. One of these... curses." He said after a pause, and waited until they nodded that they understood before he continued. "was found on a person, and it was determined that that person was cursed accidentally, and that the person who cast that curse had multiple objects hidden with that same curse on them. The goblins have this particular curse listed as a Class Seven Unforgivable." He didn't want the Ministry knowing about Voldemort's Horcruxes, they wouldn't be able to keep their big mouths shut and Death Eaters would find out.

That would turn into a race, who could find them first, with the prize being either a restored Dark Lord, or a dead one.

Bill and the goblins (as well as most of England)... they wanted a dead one.

"Why would they reassign someone just for a few objects?" One of the Ministry men asked. "Aren't there Curse-Breakers already in England who can handle it?"

Olivia answered. "Because Bill has seen this particular curse often enough in the tombs that he's something of an expert on safely cleansing the items without damaging them. I'm assuming you were called in once this curse was found on the person for just this reason? And then just kept here to find the other cursed objects?" She asked Bill, her and the two Breakers looked like they were going to be sick, while Dale was the only one who didn't know they were talking about Horcruxes.

However, she was the only one who looked like she had any idea who these Horcruxes could belong to.

The Dark Lord Voldemort.

She grimaced and glanced at Bill, who had nodded in agreement and was now watching her along with Grindaxe. Both males knew her father was an Outer Circle Death Eater, relatively high up the ladder, but not quite among the most 'trusted'. She looked at the locket, still sitting on the floor with the open box next to it. "Best get that back to the bank." She said, "We can handle things here." She turned back to the cabinet and started running detections again, after first checking for more compulsions.

Bill and Grindaxe both sighed in relief, they really hadn't wanted to have to Obliviate one of their colleagues. "I'll get this to the bank right away then." Bill said to Grindaxe as he levitated the locket into the box and stood up to leave. "Oh, and Dale?" He asked, turning around at the door. 'Never, NEVER, assume something is safe just because nothing was detected on one set of charms. There are always going to be charms and curses that the standard set doesn't recognize." He said sternly before he left the room.

He never saw Dale blush in embarrassment, or one of the other guys clapping a friendly and supportive hand on Dale's shoulder.

"Don't worry, kid. You'll learn this stuff with time and experience, he just doesn't want you learning it the hard way." He said, and Dale nodded at him gratefully before going back to detections, this time running them twice and not touching anything bare handed.

What none of the other Breakers or the goblin in the room told him was that Bill didn't want Dale learning the lesson the hard way... like Bill had. Or that the story of what happened still haunted the other Senior's to this day. Several years later. And they weren't even there.

* * *

On Wednesday evening, Sirius sat on his bed and stared at the wall. He had finished getting his family affairs straightened out, and had finished going over the Potter accounts.

So, when Healer Garnock came in to run her daily scans, she had deemed it time to start sessions with a Mind-Healer employed by the bank for their human employees to use should they need the services of one. Which made sense, especially those Curse-Breakers assigned to Egypt, and the tombs. He had heard stories of what some of those tombs contained.

He had just come from his first session, she had decided to start off 'easy', which, obviously, was his childhood... Which, of course, dredged up memories he would rather not dredge up. Like his early childhood, back when his mother was still somewhat sane and he was too young to know any better regarding what they taught about Muggles and Muggleborn. This was before he started his education in the Black Arts. A family tradition. He hadn't liked the Black Arts, they were... they made him feel so... there were just no words to how he hated those lessons and wanted nothing to do with them.

Everything had been so much happier back then. His mother was proud of him, his father was actually around more often instead of being off doing who knew what. Those were times he would rather not remember. Because it just made it so much harder knowing what they were like later. It was so much safer for him to not remember that they used to treat him well, and with love. It was easier to pretend they were always abusive to him, that there was a time when they never would have raised their wands to him.

After his mother noticed that he didn't like learning the Black Arts, the family changed. Narcissa and Regulus were the only ones who really wanted anything else to do with him outside of making sure he knew how disappointed they were in him. Even Andromeda was a little cold towards him. Well, he supposed his grandfather never changed his treatment of him, and they never cursed him in his grandfather's presence, but he wasn't always around. When Regulus started his own education, he had been better at hiding his own dislike of them than Sirius had been. Sirius had never been able to figure out how on earth Regulus had made it so far as a Death Eater, he had always been the more gentle brother, despite the act he put on for their family. (He was also wondering how a Horcrux got in that house, but had a feeling that he would have to question Kreature to do that, not something he looked forward to. But the only one who could have put it there would have been either Reggie or Kreature, so...)

He was feeling a little raw right now. The Healer had dragged up all that stuff that he buried, and talked him through it, she was trying to help him sort through his own head, but it just felt so... it made him feel so vulnerable. And after Azkaban that wasn't a feeling he liked.

But, if he wanted to be with Harry, this was something he had to do. He may have full custody of Harry, but that didn't mean anything if he was stuck in the Infirmary of Gringotts. Right now, the plan was for him to be out of here and home by Yule, the Goblins were saying that the house should definitely be renovated by then and safe for Harry (and living in general). So, he would have somewhere for them to go, the question was if he would be deemed mentally stable enough for the Healers to let him go home and be around Harry.

If it looked like that wasn't going to happen, then he would have to get in touch with Severus and see about making arrangements for Yule. He knew Harry had just spent the holiday break at Hogwarts last year, but he didn't want Harry to have to do that this year, not when he had somewhere to go. He supposed Harry could always stay with the Longbottom's again if they had to do that. Unless they could get Dumbledore out of the castle by then, then he could just stay in Severus' quarters.

He sighed and fell back on his bed with a thump. His sessions with the Mind-Healer were three times a week, to give him time to process what they had discussed the session before, but also so he didn't have too much time to dwell on it by himself. She said it wasn't healthy to have sessions like they were having, and then have long periods between. Something about some of her patients not knowing how to deal with it between sessions, so they tended to just shove it down until they saw her again and she helped them understand. Of course, by the time they saw her again, it was more difficult to deal with because it had time to fester. So, she scheduled more sessions, closer together. At least in the beginning.

After a while, as she deemed that they were making good progress, she would start spreading their sessions out and start slowly winding it down to once a week. Eventually, and she didn't give a time-frame on how long this would take, she said it would take however long Sirius needed, she would take it down to once every two weeks, then once a month, then occasional check-ins just to make sure everything was still alright. These sessions would continue even after he was released to go home, and, the best part was, she was employed by the bank.

So, he wasn't having to pay for these sessions. Her services were already paid for by the bank on a monthly basis. (Since they never knew when one of their employees would need her services (They took really good care of their employees. After all, an unstable or injured employee was an employee that couldn't work. And an employee that couldn't work was an employee that wasn't making them money), and they didn't want to need her only for her to be unavailable, so they just kept her on a payroll, rather than go on a case-by-case basis. It worked for both her and the bank. Yeah, she probably wasn't making as much as she could working for a private clinic or something, but... she made enough, her hours were pretty much hers to make, so she was happy with it.)

Come to think of it, he should probably figure out how Harry was paying for the service of the Goblin Healers. All he knew was that Harry had made arrangements, but all Harry had access to until his seventeenth birthday were his trust and Heir vaults. Which, Sirius didn't want his pup spending on him.

He would figure it out later. He would see Harry the next day, Sharpaxe was going to get him so they could go over things with the lawyer for the Dursley's trial and then go and get him that puppy. He hated that the courts were making him see the Dursleys again, but there was nothing they could do about it. The Goblins lawyer had tried everything, every trick and loophole in the book to make it so Harry never had to see them again, but it was no good. And then, after Harry left, he would be allowed out into Diagon Alley (with an escort, of course). It would feel good to be out in the sun again.

* * *

Harry, with Hedwig sleeping on his shoulder, stood in the Entrance Hall with Professor McGonagall on Thursday morning, pouting.

He had received a note from Sharpaxe the day before, asking if he would like to go somewhere with him, and stating that he already had the Deputy Headmistress's permission to take him out of school through the morning, trying to have Harry back in time for classes after lunch, and all of the next day. He didn't say in the letter what was going on, only that they had business to attend to, and then he had a surprise for Harry. And he knew that McGonagall knew what the surprise was, because she told him that he would like the surprise. The note had also told him to bring Hedwig, the Creature Healers wanted to check her again, if they liked what they saw then she would be taken off flying restrictions and some of her potions.

But no matter how much he asked, how he asked, or how much he used the puppy dog eyes (that even Severus was not immune to), she refused to tell him what the surprise was. Hence, the pout.

All he had been able to get out of her was that, as his account manager, and as Harry was the last remaining Potter, he had the right to take Harry out of school to go over Family business (it was apparently written in the Family by-laws. Which was apparently a thing). Which was what part of their trip would be.

While they waited, they talked. Well, really, the conversation started when Harry asked a question about his homework for the next couple of days since he would be missing school for one and a half, possibly two days straight. She explained a bit of what he would be missing in her class the next morning, and informed him what they would be working on and what the homework essay would be just in case he had a chance to work on it while he was out the next day.

They were currently in the middle of a small Q&A session about turning beetles into buttons when Dumbledore walked by. "Ah, Minerva, Harry, what are you two doing here? Don't you both have classes?" He asked, looking at them over his glasses, making sure his eyes were twinkling.

Minerva raised an eyebrow, but answered. "We are waiting for Master Sharpaxe to get here, he has some family business to go over with Mr. Potter here, and will need to take him to the bank for the morning, and possibly into the afternoon as well." She didn't see any reason not to inform him, despite everything she had read in the _Prophet_ the past couple of days, he was still the Headmaster, and he had every right to know when one of his students left the school, even if she was the one with the authorization to allow it.

Dumbledore frowned slightly, "Is it really necessary for him to leave the school? They can use one of the unused classrooms, I do not think it a good idea to take Harry away from classes." He said, looking at Minerva as if he was disappointed that she had authorized this without telling him. Inwardly, though, he was hoping she would accept his offer so he could direct them to one of the unused classrooms that he had listening and spying charms on for just this purpose. "Besides, Sharpaxe is not a parent or guardian, he has no authority to be taking students out school." He said, not noticing Sharpaxe himself coming up behind them.

"Actually, Mr. Dumbledore, I _do_ have the authority to take Heir Potter-Black out of the school on family business. It is written in the by-laws of the Potter family that if the family is reduced to one, the Account Manager can act in place of the Heir's guardian when it concerns Family business." Sharpaxe's voice cut in. He looked at Dumbledore with a severe frown on his face, he had been hoping to get in, get Harry, and get out without having to deal with the old man. "And if that's still not enough for you, I have permission from Lord Black as well." He finished.

Dumbledore frowned, but didn't say anything. If he had his way, then Sirius Black wouldn't be around much longer, if only the man would just leave the blasted bank so he could get to him! Well, he should be at the trial the next day, to support Harry... he would try and get to him then. He was just lucky he'd gotten to the Dursley's lawyer and forced Harry to appear for testimony. His loyalty potions would hopefully be enough for Harry to drop the charges. If not then he knew that he would need to up the dosage and add some compulsion charms in there as well. His frown deepened when Sharpaxe turned to Harry and Minerva, completely dismissing him.

"If you are ready, the lawyer is waiting in my office." He said to Harry, who frowned at hearing about a lawyer, then he turned to Minerva while Harry moved to the door after thanking his professor for waiting with him. "I will try to have him back in time for afternoon classes." He said with a slight bow at the professor, who smiled and bowed her head back.

"No hurry, he already has his assignments for the next two days, so if he gets the chance to do some work on them, he can. Otherwise, his friends are taking notes so, take all the time you need." She told the Goblin.

Sharpaxe nodded in satisfaction before turning to follow Harry, who had stopped just outside the door to wait. As they walked towards the gates, Sharpaxe filled him on what was going on. "The Dursley's trial is tomorrow, and, unfortunately, their lawyer is insisting you be there. He refuses to let the trial go ahead without you and keeps suggesting postponement dates and finding excuses whenever we try to schedule it without you. Our lawyer is one of the best, but not even he was able to stop this. It would seem that Dumbledore has managed to get them a lawyer that listens to him. So, today we are meeting with ours to go over the details, what is going to happen, what will be expected, and what is not acceptable for them to ask you. And what we want you to do if those questions are asked." He explained as they walked.

Harry's face fell when he heard that the Dursley's lawyer was forcing him to be at the trial. "Dumbledore is probably hoping the loyalty potions will make me drop the whole thing." He sneered.

Sharpaxe nodded in agreement. "Well, even if you did drop it, we wouldn't, and neither would the Muggle government. Some of the charges against your uncle include assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. The Muggles take those kind of charges very seriously, after all, how are they supposed to protect their police officers if people know they can get away with attacking them? And on our end, well, we'll just be carrying out the wishes of two of our most wealthy clients. Wills are also taken very seriously, and considering the fact that we will be pressing for the maximum punishment outlined in your parents Wills, and then some, this isn't getting dropped." He said offhandedly. It was beautiful knowing that Dumbledore wasn't getting his way this time. Maybe if Dumbledore had actually used his proxy vote in the Muggle government... then they would have cause to worry. But he didn't, he ignored it instead of using it to gain influence in the Muggle government.

What Sharpaxe didn't tell Harry, was that Dumbledore had been trying to gain access to the trial. However, since he wasn't going to be on the Jury (made of both Muggles who knew about the Magical world and Magicals), and he wasn't going to be one of the two judges (again, one Muggle and one Magical), and he wasn't a member or representative of either the Child Protection Agency or the Wizarding Children's Agency, he had absolutely no official business to be there. The only reason they might call him in was if they wanted to question him on the fact that he left Harry on a doorstep in November. Which, they didn't. That's not what this trial was about, it was about how the Dursley's treated Harry after they found him on that doorstep. Dumbledore's part in it would come up during their own trial after the man's own arrest. Whenever that ended up being. They were trying to get all this taken care of by the end of the school year. If they got it earlier, all the better.

Harry frowned, but he was happy to know that this wasn't going to be dropped no matter what Dumbledore tried. Sharpaxe kept speaking. "We'll go over the charges against them in my office, however, I would also like to inform you that a Miss Margerie Dursley has been arrested for animal cruelty, bribing a public official, and running a breeding operation without the proper licensing. As well as breeding Pit Bulls." He said, and enjoyed Harry's look of shock and pleasure at hearing that his other 'aunt' was also getting in trouble. It was a shame about the Pit Bulls though, he liked those dogs.

"Wait, without proper licensing? Why would she need a license to own dogs?" Harry asked, confused.

"It's not the owning dogs part that she needs a license for, its the breeding operation part. As well as the fact that many of the dogs she had were Pit Bulls. The government just likes to know about operations like that so they can keep an eye on things and make sure that all the animals involved are being treated right. It's also a way to let potential clients know that the breeder they are buying from treats their animals right if they can show proof that they have passed inspections." He explained. "And when it comes to Pit Bulls, personally, I think they are amazing dogs. However, they also have a reputation for being violent. They're not, IF you know how to handle them, but unfortunately, not everyone knows how to handle them. There have been a couple that have injured and even killed small children. So, last year the Muggle government passed a law saying it was illegal to breed certain dogs. The Pit Bull terrier, of which your aunt had and bred several, was one of them."*

Harry stared at him in shock. He didn't know that her operation was illegal. "Now, from what I recall, you can OWN them, but they have to be muzzled and leashed in public. And the government will destroy the dog if they become dangerously violent in public, plus the owner could be facing jail time. From what Severus said last I spoke to him, you said something about regularly being attacked by one of her bulldogs?" He said.

Harry looked startled, but he nodded, looking ashamed. Sharpaxe nodded too, she would be facing jail time just for that. Never mind everything else. "Wait, if she's been arrested, what's happened to her dogs?" Harry asked.

"They've been taken to a shelter. The ones found to be violent, like that one she called Ripper, have been put down for public safety, the rest are waiting to go to good homes. She had several brand new litters too, a couple of pit bull's, a German Shepherd, a Golden Retriever, and a few others. The shelter workers said that they are going to have to work with several of the mothers to get them used to people, and kindness. Some of them, despite their treatment, have apparently turned out to be really gentle dogs according to them." He said, he watched Harry carefully, and was pleased to note that Harry seemed concerned for the dogs and even a little wistful, like he maybe wanted one?

He had been worried that Harry might be too scared of dogs after the treatment he went through at the paws of Miss Dursley's. That would have kind of ruined the surprise.

By now they had finally reached the gates, and Sharpaxe held out a necklace that would allow him to side-along Harry directly through the wards straight to his office, rather than the receiving room. After Harry put it on, he waited for Harry to secure Hedwig before he grabbed hold of Harry's arm and apparated out. They never noticed the blue eyes glaring at them from the top of the Astronomy Tower, especially when his eavesdropping charms failed.

* * *

*I looked this up, I knew the US had laws concerning Pit Bulls, but I wasn't sure about the UK. In the third book, it says that Marge Dursley bred bulldogs, which, when I looked it up, were said to be a pit bull type. So, in this, she breeds multiple dogs, but still mostly pit bulls and bulldogs. It also said that the law banning pit bull breeding was passed in 1991, in the story right now, it would be 1992, and in the third book where it said she bred bulldogs, it would be 1993. So, really, whether she had licensing or not, her entire operation was still illegal because she bred bulldogs. Not to mention the fact that she drowned the ones she considered runts.

Don't you all just love the Dursley's?


	22. Chapter 22

_He had been worried that Harry might be too scared of dogs after the treatment he went through at the paws of Miss Dursley's. That would have kind of ruined the surprise._

 _By now they had finally reached the gates, and Sharpaxe held out a necklace that would allow him to side-along Harry directly through the wards straight to his office, rather than the receiving room. After Harry put it on, he waited for Harry to secure Hedwig before he grabbed hold of Harry's arm and apparated out. They never noticed the blue eyes glaring at them from the top of the Astronomy Tower, especially when his eavesdropping charms failed._

Again, Harry was grateful for the Goblins arm holding him up, or he would have face-planted on the floor again. He was really starting to hate magical transportation, he just hoped he never had a reason to ride the Knight Bus, from what he'd heard, that thing was a nightmare to people who could actually handle magical transportation. When he looked up, he saw that he was back in Sharpaxe's office, along with a strange goblin (that was assumed to be a Healer), Barchoke, Sirius, and a man he never saw before, but looked somewhat familiar. Harry assumed this was the lawyer.

Sirius and the lawyer had been talking to each other before Harry and Sharpaxe popped in, but their conversation stopped once Sirius saw his godson/son and came over to give the boy a hug. "Hey, pup, how was school?" He asked after Harry handed Hedwig off to the Healer and as he led Harry over to a seat while Sharpaxe went over to sit at his desk.

"It was good, it's so much easier now to concentrate in class. And to learn the spells in class, although I'm still struggling sometimes to keep from overpowering spells... I had to try so hard last year, and now I barely have to try at all. Neville is having the same problem though, although last year he had to deal with a blocked core, AND a wand that was fighting him at the same time..." He said with a shrug. Sirius' face darkened for a moment when Harry mentioned the core blockage, but then it cleared up again when Harry looked at him.

"How have you been?" Harry asked, he wanted to hear how his godfather's healing was going.

"I've been good, the Healers are going to let me out into Diagon Alley today, after you head back to school, of course it will be with an escort, but, hey. It will feel good to be in the sun again." He said, he left out the fact that they were still having to dose him with Calming Droughts when he got too emotional over the simplest of things, and the part where the Mind Healer sessions started the day before. He didn't need to hear the details about how his guardian was so messed up. "They said that if things went well, I could take you home with me for the Winter holidays. Of course, there's no guarantee of that, and I'll probably still be on a potion regimen and exercise plan, but... it's something for us to look forward to." He warned Harry. He was much better off than he could have been, thanks to Padfoot. Harry simply smiled and sat down next to him.

The Goblins smiled slightly at Harry, they really liked him, before Sharpaxe introduced the lawyer. "Harry, this is Theodore Tonks. He is Muggleborn, but still one of the most respected lawyers in Magical Britain. He also works part time in a Muggle news station, so you may know of him from there." Sharpaxe said, gesturing towards Harry. Now Harry understood where he looked familiar from.

"He's also my cousin, Andromeda's, husband. Which makes him family." Sirius added in.

"Pleased to meet you, sir." Harry said shyly, shaking Ted's hand.

"None of that 'sir' stuff, like Sirius said, we are family. Call me Ted." Was the response.

Harry grinned at him. "So, you're handling the case with the Dursley's?" He asked, after taking a deep breath.

"Yes, and I am truly sorry that you are having to be involved. I tried everything, but the Dursley's lawyer, who isn't even that good, believe it or not, seems to have finally grown a brain. Either that or he has somebody telling him what to do." Ted said, he truly was frustrated that he couldn't keep Harry out of this. Normally, with child abuse cases, the child was kept as far away from their abusers as possible, on principle, but this other lawyer would not hear of it. Even the judges agreed that Harry shouldn't be coming anywhere near that courtroom, but if they wanted to get the case settled anytime in the next century, they had to allow it. It was either this or the Dursley's went free, because they could only hold them without trial for so long until they either had to have their trial, or be set loose with a warning. And that deadline was coming up, thanks to that idiot constantly finding excuses to postpone unless Harry was there.

It made him sick.

Harry frowned and looked down, finally he looked up. "Don't worry to much about it, you did what you could. Let's just get tomorrow over with." He said, clearly not happy with the circumstances, but trying to hide it rather well.

The adults smiled sadly at him. "Alright, well, the way this is going to work, since your aunt and uncle are Muggles, is that they are going to be on trial with the Mixed Court. This court is made up of both Magicals and Muggles. The Jury will be split half and half, and there will be two judges. One magical, one Muggle. The guards will probably also be a mix, it depends on who is on duty. There will also be a representative from both the Muggle's Child Protection Agency and the Wizarding Children's Agency. Now, all the Muggles in there will have a family member who is magical, be it a child, their spouse, cousins, whatever. So, they will know what your talking about if you reference anything magic related. As you can probably guess, they handle many cases that involve both the Muggle and Magical worlds. Now, you will be called to witness, unfortunately." Ted said.

"What are they going to want me to talk about?" Harry asked, somewhat nervously.

"If that lawyer of theirs has a brain, he will stick to questions like, 'what was a typical day like for you in the Dursley household?', 'what was a typical punishment like?', stuff like that. If he does deviate, and ask questions unrelated to what the trial is about, then don't answer, let me and the judges handle him." Ted said.

"We'll be there, as well." Sharpaxe said, gesturing between himself and Barchoke. "Since we are the ones who initially pressed charges, and we have already given them a life sentence in the mines, we will be there to represent both you as our main client, and the Nation. Really, though, the only reason there even needs to be a trial is because Vernon Dursley decided to attack the police officers. The Muggle government doesn't like it when their law enforcement are attacked like that. Of course, it still happens almost daily... Also, the fact that you, as a Potter, have some influence in the government."

"There was actually a public announcement that the missing Potter Heir has been found at last. They included a short story about what happened to make him go missing in the first place, well, a Muggle version of what happened, I believe they said it was a terrorist attack." Ted added in as an after-thought. "They said that the Headmaster of the exclusive boarding school Lord and Lady Potter both went to had taken young Heir Potter from the house after the attack and illegally placed him with his last remaining relatives, ignoring Lord and Lady Potter's will."

"Really?" Sharpaxe asked. He hadn't heard anything about that.

Ted nodded. "I did the special report myself." He smirked. "I also asked Britain whether or not the Headmaster was a part of this terrorist group. Because, really. What Headmaster has any kind of authority to be disregarding Child Services like that? Especially for such a high profile person."

"The kind that likes to meddle and play with people's lives." Sirius muttered.

"Exactly." Ted said, nodding to Sirius. Then he shook his head. "But, back on topic. The trial tomorrow. Now, I have called in Madam Longbottom, Mr. Prewett," When Harry looked slightly confused, he reminded the boy that was the oculist, "and, of course, one of the Goblin Healers who saw you when you came in will be there. Mrs. Figg will also be there. Evidently, she was placed there by Albus Dumbledore, and often reported your treatment, only for him to do nothing. So..." He looked through his notes to make sure he wasn't missing something, while Harry froze.

"Mrs. Figg is a witch?" He asked in disbelief.

Ted looked up at him. "No, a Squib. She was able to give testimony that she's been in contact with Dumbledore, that will come up if Dumbledore goes to trial... But, she will be able to give testimony to how the Dursley's treated you all those years. Now, when Mrs. Figg goes up, the other guy will try and get her in trouble, citing that she knew and did nothing, saying that she was probably in on it. We all know that's not true. So, don't panic when that comes up, we actually have records of her calling Child Services several times, only for nothing to ever happen. Besides the fact that she informed Dumbledore and nothing happened there, either."

"Dumbledore knew all of it?" Harry mumbled, looking down.

Sirius glanced at him, concerned. "Yeah, pup, it sounds like it. But don't worry, we'll get him." He said, clapping Harry on the shoulder. Harry smiled at him, then looked around when there was a knock on the door.

When it opened, there was a Goblin in Healer robes on the other side of it. Harry was happy to see Hedwig with him. "Hedwig!" He said, and patted his knee for her to come over and perch. He smiled when she landed and hooted before sending an image to him of an empty potion vial, and a plate of bacon. He cocked his head to the side and tried to translate the images, "Did they take you off the potions? And, yes, you can get some bacon when we get back to Hogwarts. Not too much though, I told you I don't want to make you sick." He shook his head when she bobbed her head and hooted in agreement.

The Goblin Healer blinked and shook his head. He knew that these two were bonded Wizard and Familiar, but... this was an insanely close bond. "Yes, she is healthy enough to be taken off the potions after tomorrow, she will still take it tomorrow." He said, looking at the sulking owl sternly (how was that even possible?), "I am also going to take her off of flying restriction. She can go back to work delivering mail. And, yes, I know about her delivering a paper and a letter from Sirius the other day." He finished his report. Hedwig now looked sheepishly defiant while Harry looked at her and shook his head fondly.

"Thank you for taking care of her." Harry said, sitting up straighter and bowing from where he was. He couldn't really stand up with an owl in his lap. Especially one whose name was Hedwig when she had just gotten comfortable.

The Goblin's looked pleased with something, the Healer bowed back and dismissed himself politely.

Harry looked concerned for a moment about something while he absently stroked Hedwig's back, "And, none of the Wizarding world is going to find out? It's bad enough it was stated in front of the whole Wizengamot and those reporters that they are on trial." He said. He did not want the whole world knowing about this, he got enough publicity as it was, he just wanted something to stay private for once.

"No, nobody is going to find out. All humans going to be in that room will have to take extensive Oaths of Secrecy before they're even allowed in the door, and the room itself will be heavily warded in privacy and anti-animagus wards. So don't worry, there won't be anymore ammunition for the press to write about from this." Sharpaxe said.

Ted looked up from his notes and smiled before he got down to business again. "Alright, Harry, here's how tomorrow will go, and how we need you to present yourself..." He said, and with that they spent the next few hours discussing the trial the next day.

Harry listened with rapt attention.

* * *

Ginny entered the second year boys dorm carefully, glancing around to make sure the hallway was clear and she was alone in the room. She was supposed to be in Herbology right now, but Professor Sprout had to deal with some sixth years breaking into one of the Greenhouses and causing problems with some of the more dangerous plants.

In other words, they angered the Venomous Tentacula, and she was still trying to calm it down while at the same time trying to make sure the thing didn't destroy the other plants in the Greenhouse. Especially the Mandrakes, those things were expensive to procure and she didn't have the necessary equipment here at Hogwarts to breed her own stock of them. She could only fit one batch every two years into her budget. (which of course meant she had to have two years study it, she made it so it was her second and third years. This way, when the current first years would be in their third year when she got a new batch, and the year after them in their second. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best she could do with her limited budget. She'd been trying to get the equipment, but it was way out of her budget range no matter how much she tried to arrange it. Maybe if she didn't have other plants and equipment to procure every year as well... it was bad enough she had to make do with Muggle earmuffs with silencing charms as ear protection.)

So... Herbology was cancelled until the sixth years were free and that Greenhouse was calmed back down.

In the meantime, this was the first chance she had to do this.

All the boys were in class, and Harry was off at the bank taking care of some family business, he would be back in the afternoon, or at least that was the plan.

And she really wanted something of his, it would have to be something small, she didn't care what it was, she would settle for a dirty sock! But she had to have something of her Harry. She thought back to Tom, when she had told her diary what she wanted, he had taken a while to answer, before finally calling her creepy.

How dare he!

She wasn't being creepy, besides, someday she would be Mrs. Harry Potter, the wife of a hero... she sighed dreamily just thinking about it.

She shook her head to focus, she didn't want to be caught here, what if Harry thought the same way as Tom! Besides, she also wasn't supposed to be in here. Looking around, she wrinkled her nose at the mess left behind. Boys, they were such slobs. It didn't take her long to figure out which bed was her Harry's, and she was very pleased to note that his bed was the cleanest in the whole room. That only made him even more perfect in her eyes. Of course, she would have still loved him even if he was a slob, but this would make things easier.

She didn't see anything on his bed or nightstand she could take, at least nothing that wouldn't be missed, so she went to his trunk, and was surprised that it was so basic, even before getting their fortune back the Weasley's still managed to send their kids to school with a two-compartment trunk. Second-hand and maybe not in the best condition, sure, but it was more than this, with their money back they had all been able to get brand-new three compartment customized trunks. She frowned, but decided to take it as a sign of her Harry's modesty, oh, he was so perfect!

She opened it, expecting to find clothes or other personal belongings, but instead all she found were some school books and half-finished homework assignments. She rifled through it a little bit to make sure there was nothing beneath the books, but there was nothing. What the... where were his clothes? There wasn't even a quill here, she couldn't take any of this, it would definitely be noticed. Well, she supposed that he might think he simply misplaced the books somewhere, but she couldn't take the homework assignments, she didn't want to do anything to get her Harry in trouble... and as a first year she didn't really have any reason to have second year books.

What she didn't know, was that when she opened the trunk, she triggered a ward Harry put up just for fangirls like her. It read her intentions, and then glamoured the items in the trunk accordingly (he'd found it in one of his family journals, apparently one of his ancestors had a problem with fangirls). Her intentions were to get something that wouldn't be missed, so the items were glamoured into something that would be missed. The clothes and things were still in the trunk, and Harry's homework assignments and school books were with him. She also triggered a ward that the second year boys set up with McGonagall's help that would alert the five boys if somebody else was in their dorm who wasn't supposed to be (they made the point that Harry was famous and girls were weird about famous people.) So, the boys knew the moment she opened the door.

"What are you doing, Ginny?" She heard from behind her, she froze for a second before she tried to casually close the trunk and turn around as if she was supposed to be in here. She gulped when she saw all four second year boys standing in the doorway.

Thinking quickly, she smiled and said, "I was just looking for a book Harry said I could borrow. I didn't see it though, so he must have forgotten to take it out of his bag before he left this morning. I thought you were in class." She said, confused as to what they were doing here.

Ron studied her for a moment before he seemed to let it go, much to her relief (he didn't believe her for a second, but he didn't want to draw attention) "Potions is cancelled for a while since Professor Snape is helping Professor Sprout with Greenhouse three. I guess since he's a Herbology Master too, he needs to help. And the fact that a lot of the plants in there are future ingredients for the school storage cupboard." He said with a shrug. All the boys had been in the library with the rest of their class trying to work through the worksheet left for them when they felt the wards on their room go off and made their excuses so they could come investigate.

"I thought his Mastery is in Potions, not Herbology." Ginny said, confused, watching as the boys spread out to their different beds, looking them over to make sure their stuff was untouched.

"It is, but I guess a Mastery in Herbology is highly recommended for Potions Masters to get as a secondary alongside their primary one. According to Snape, all the GOOD Masters collect their own ingredients instead of settling for the 'second-rate product mass-produced for the Dunderheads of the world'. His words, not mine." Seamus said, sitting on his bed. All four of the boys knew she was lying about Harry lending her a book. He never lent anyone anything, he was very possessive of his stuff. That, and she changed the subject too quickly. "So, they would need extensive knowledge of Herbology if they're going to be collecting ingredients from the wild without damaging them or getting themselves killed."

"So... why aren't you in class?" Dean asked.

"I have Herbology right now. So..." She said.

Ron nodded, and the boys all looked at each other. Ron stood up and walked Ginny to the door, following her down to the Common Room, where he knew Percy was studying and helping a few younger kids. He wanted to talk to her about why she was really in their dorm, but didn't really know how, so he was going to get help. Percy would know what to do.

When he saw Percy, he made a beeline and made sure Ginny was coming with him. When he sat her down in front of Percy, he sat beside his older brother and gave him a look that made him throw up privacy charms. "What's wrong?" He asked his younger siblings.

"When we came back from the library, we found her going through Harry's school trunk. When we asked, she said she was looking for a book Harry lent her this morning. All of us know, though, Harry doesn't lend his stuff out. Ever. And he never even spoke to her this morning, we were all with him." Ron explained. Ginny scowled.

Percy frowned. The boys didn't know it, but he'd spent most of last year shooing girls away from their dorm room, they always said something about being lost, but he didn't believe it for a second. He really didn't want to consider that his baby sister might be the same way. He really hoped she wasn't. "Ginny, what were you really doing in the boys dorm?" He asked her gently. He really hoped that she just came clean and didn't try to make an argument out of it, she was too much like their mother sometimes in that regard.

He mentally sighed when she remained stubbornly quiet, he wasn't going to get anything out of her. She was a Weasley, and they were stubborn. After five minutes of nothing, he sighed, "Alright, I'll let you go this time. If anybody catches you sneaking around up there again, I will tell Professor McGonagall." He said. He made a mental note to let the other guys know to keep an eye out. Especially Fred and George.

She nodded, angry, but left to go back to her dorm. Where she pulled out her diary to vent her frustrations about brothers who didn't understand her need to have something of her Harry.

Tom would understand, he was the only one who did.

* * *

Percy and Ron watched her go, worried. "Keep an eye on her, Ron. I don't like how pale she looked, or how withdrawn she's been. And now this... if it gets worse I'll owl Mother. Make sure the Twins know if you see them before I do." Percy instructed his youngest brother. Ron nodded.

"I'm going to go finish my questions list for Potions, I'll keep an eye out though." He said, before he left to go back to his own dorm room. Where he looked at the other boys and shrugged before making sure none of Harry's stuff was disturbed.

* * *

Harry was confused. Why were they here? After Ted finished going over what they needed for the next day, Sharpaxe decided it was time for Harry's surprise before they had to get him back to school. And, naturally, Sirius wanted to come along, so, after getting an hour's freedom out of his Healers (plus another calming draught and the monitoring bracelet), and after glamouring himself to look human, Sharpaxe apparated the three of them here, to the Surrey Animal Shelter. Why were they at an animal shelter?

When he looked at Sirius, confused, Sirius only grinned and put his hands on Harry's shoulders, gently pushing him forwards to follow Sharpaxe inside, wrapping one of his arms around Harry's shoulders as they moved.

Harry and Sirius waited while Sharpaxe spoke quietly to the worker at the desk, and when she went to the back to check something for him, he turned to Harry. "Remember I told you that Marjorie Dursley had several litters, and they were all taken to various shelters? Well, her German Shepherd is here. Every young man needs a good dog."

Harry's eyes widened, and his face lit up, making Sirius chuckle. "Unfortunately, you won't be able to _keep_ it at Hogwarts with you..." When Harry's face fell, he hurried to continue. "But, I'm sure Mipsy won't mind bringing it to you for you to play with now and then..." He trailed off and smiled when his face lit up again. It was a good thing he had already spoken to Mipsy about it. While Sirius was in the hospital and Harry was at school, Mipsy would take care of the puppy at Potter Manor. "Just make sure you don't neglect your studies." He finished sternly, even though some might think him an impostor for saying it.

"I won't, Uncle Sev has already threatened to take me off the Quidditch team if my grades aren't where he thinks they should be." Harry said seriously. He didn't want to be taken off the team! He liked playing!

"You're already on the team?" Sirius asked, surprised and proud. Harry looked confused for a moment before he remembered that they hadn't had a whole lot of time to just sit and talk before he had to go back to school. The time they would have spent the day before he had to leave was interrupted by Barchoke.

"Yup, since last year, I'm the Seeker." Harry said proudly. Playing Quidditch was something he was good at, something he felt he actually deserved the recognition from. It was something he actually DID. Unlike that Halloween, as far as he was concerned, him surviving was due to something his mother did. He probably didn't have much to do with it.

"You got on in your first year?!" Sirius asked, shocked. "That never happens..." He looked at Harry, shocked. When the shock finally wore off, he was so proud. He grinned and pulled Harry into a hug, "I'm proud of you, pup. You have got to be a natural flyer for Minnie to bend the rules for you like that." He muttered.

"Oh, he is. Severus showed me a memory, it was both amazing and terrifying to watch. The level of skill was amazing, the stunts he pulled with that skill..." Sharpaxe said, shaking his head at the end, and ignoring how red Harry's face had gotten at all the praise. He turned towards the door the worker had gone through. "What is taking her so long?" He muttered. They'd been waiting for over fifteen minutes already, she was just going to get the dogs in question moved to a room where they could sit and play with them so Harry could pick one! That didn't take that long, did it? Was something wrong with the pups that wasn't in the reports?

She came back right then. "Sorry about the wait. I hadn't known that one of the puppies got a little too rough playing with one of his sisters, her paw was bleeding pretty bad, but the vet said she'll be alright. She'll just have to be careful, and we'll have to watch to make sure none of them pulls the bandage off. Now, do you want to see the whole litter, or just the uninjured pups? Some people don't mind caring for an injury so soon, while others want nothing to do with it. Personally, I don't care. If you really care for the animal, then who cares if they come to you injured, but..." She shrugged.

Sharpaxe turned to Harry, it would be his dog, after all. "I want to see all of them." He said, smiling at her shyly.

"Alright, then if you will follow me." She said happily. She always loved it when the animals brought in were taken to good homes. She hated that shelters like this were even necessary, but that was life.

When they got in the room, Harry was happy to see his favorite dog in there. She was probably the easiest to take care of whenever he was left at Marge's, and consequently put to work taking care of the dogs. He had no idea where Marge got her, but she was by far the sweetest dog Marge had. She was also the only one with a normal name.

"Hey, Lacy, how are you? You're looking better. You happy to be away from Aunt Marge?" He asked her quietly. The shelter lady (her name tag said Alicia) raised an eyebrow, but decided not to ask.

Harry turned his attention from the dog to her puppies, who were all running to greet the people who just came in. He saw the injured one trying to keep up, but was struggling, so he went to her. It was clear that even without the bandage on her paw, she would still be struggling. While Sirius and Sharpaxe went to sit on the benches provided, and Alicia stayed by the door (with a clipboard of paperwork for them to fill out once they decided which one they wanted, and to answer any questions about the dogs they might have, as unnecessary as that seemed in this case), Harry sat in the middle of the room and let the puppies crawl on him.

While Harry sat and played with the puppies, Sirius and Alicia spoke quietly and Sharpaxe paid Lacy some attention. Harry played with them all for a bit, but his attention kept going back to the little one, the one who was injured.

If she had remained in Marge's care, she would have been given to the Colonel to be drowned. She was the runt of the litter, the kind that Marge hated the most. It kind of scared him, actually, because this would have been the third runt that Lacy produced, to his knowledge. Which meant Marge would have deemed her defective soon enough and gotten rid of her, too. She always said that if something was wrong with the pup, it was because there was something wrong with the mother.

Of course, she usually said that when discussing Harry's mother with Petunia and trying to reassure Petunia that it wasn't her fault that Harry was the way he was...

In the end, he picked her up and carried her over to Sirius and Sharpaxe. This one just seemed to... kind of call to him. It wasn't anything like with when he got Hedwig, she chose him, and she wasn't magical, so it wasn't like they could form a Bond, but there was just something about her...

"Hey, pup, you want her?" Sirius asked, reaching over to let her sniff his hand before playing with her uninjured paw.

"She's a sweet one, isn't she?" Sharpaxe asked as he held out his hand for the clipboard. He looked down at it and marked that no, they didn't need her micro-chipped, (he had heard that shelters were starting to offer that... he had a feeling that it would become mandatory sometime in the next decade or so) she would be living in magical environments, and while there were runes and spells to 'protect' the electrical device from the magic in the air, it wouldn't be needed. They could just as easily put a tracking rune on her collar. It was also expensive, not that they couldn't afford it.

Harry nodded and played with her ears a bit. He didn't know what to say to Sharpaxe, he wanted to say something to thank the goblin, but the words kept getting stuck in his throat. The only other time somebody had done something like this for him (aside from Severus) was when Hagrid got him Hedwig.

While Sharpaxe looked over the rest of the paperwork, Alicia got somebody to take the other puppies and their mother back, after Harry said good-bye to Lacy, and then led them back out front, where she showed Harry where they kept the collars while Sharpaxe finished the paperwork he started in the playroom. While Sharpaxe did that, a family came in to adopt as well, and Sirius struck up a conversation with the parents while Harry and the daughter started talking about what she wanted, which was a cat. Harry was also getting an odd feeling around them... mostly the girl. The last time he'd felt something like this... was when he first went to the Leaky Cauldron with Hagrid.

The girl was magical.

This was proven as she was getting more and more excited over getting a pet, only for a window to explode.

"I didn't do it this time!" Harry said to Sirius quickly, making the girl look at him oddly, and a little hopefully. Was he like her? Making odd things happen?

Her parents looked horrified and afraid, Harry hoped they weren't afraid of their daughter, but rather what he and Sirius would do. Their fears, however, were unjustified when Sirius only came over and made sure the two children were unharmed and to make sure Harry was alright and was in control.

"You sure you are still in control? I've been told you've been a little shaky on that since getting your magic unblocked." Sirius said, while Sharpaxe took care of Alicia. He figured since it was clear that the girl was magic, the parents were going to learn about magic within the next year anyway, might as well do it now.

"Yeah, I'm fine, it just startled me a bit. And I haven't had an accident with it for the past week! I've got my Lumos down to normal levels and everything. Although I did blast Ron out of bed with a water charm the first night back at school... I didn't mean to make it that strong, but..." Harry shrugged. "Although the look on his face was pretty funny." He finished with a grin.

"Excuse me, but... you know what has been happening with our daughter? The... odd things?" The father asked hopefully, holding his daughter.

Sirius and Sharpaxe looked at each other before glancing around. "Yes, but this isn't really the place for this... here. Let me take Harry back to school and Sirius back to his room in the Hospital Wing, and I will be back while you go ahead and get your kitten. With any luck I can catch Professor McGonagall outside of class and get her to come with me. Then, we can go somewhere more private and explain. This really isn't the place for this..." Sharpaxe said.

"School?" Her mother asked wearily.

"Yes, it is a school to help children like your daughter and Harry hone their skills and learn to control their abilities. There are many like your daughter in the world, but like I said, this isn't the place for this. Let me finish up and get Harry back for his afternoon classes, and then we can talk some more."

The parents looked at each other wearily, but couldn't deny the need to find out what was happening with their daughter, the thought that it may be normal was a relief, so they agreed. Then they watched in amazement as Sirius had Harry repair the window, Harry pulled out a stick and waved it while muttering something, causing the broken glass to fly around a bit before it all fit back together like it should. In fact, where before the glass had been scratched and a little smudged, now it looked like it had only been put in a few minutes before, brand-new. Sirius went over and inspected it a little.

"You put a little too much into that one, Harry. But you are getting better with it. Don't worry, it will be second nature soon enough to only use the little bit needed for some spells." He said, wrapping an arm around Harry's shoulders and playing with the puppies ears with the other hand while Harry went back to inspecting the collars. Now that the glass was fixed, Sharpaxe woke Alicia back up, who continued on as if nothing had happened, and when Sharpaxe, Sirius, and Harry were done in there, Sharpaxe quietly told the family that he would be right back, hopefully with a professor, and to act like nothing had happened. Then, they left, first to Gringotts to make sure Sirius actually went back, and then to Hogwarts, where they met up with Professor McGonagall at the gate.

"Professor, we met a young Muggleborn and her parents at the shelter, she had a bit of accidental magic in her excitement at getting a pet... I told her and her parents that I would be back later, hopefully with a professor..." Sharpaxe trailed off as Harry walked on the path ahead of them, still playing with his puppy in his arms. He would have to find a name for her in the coming days.

"Oh," Minerva said, surprised. "Well, we don't normally introduce Muggleborns until they are Hogwarts age... bit stupid if you ask me, but I don't make the rules... how old is she?" She asked.

"She looks to be about ten, so she'll be getting her letter next year or the year after, depending." Sharpaxe said.

"Ah, well, my afternoon is free of classes, I can come back with you, just let me grab a folder from my office." She said, and then continued when she saw Sharpaxe give her a questioning look. "It's a folder we, the other Heads and I, put together for Muggleborn parents alongside the booklists we recommend for Muggleborns... it has the usual basic overview of classes offered, what the classes are, tuition costs and scholarship opportunities, as well as other options in the UK if they don't want Hogwarts, information on how to get in touch with me via Muggle post since they won't have access to an owl until they get to Diagon and even that depends on if they buy their child an owl. It also outlines the Statute of Secrecy and what that entails on their part, and various other Magical laws that apply to them as Muggleborn parents. It's just so they have something to go back to and reference later if they need to." She explained. "I have also begun putting information in there about what jobs there are in the Muggle world that the Ministry works with."

"Ah, like the Muggleborn parents and relatives that work in the police departments and law firms." Sharpaxe said.

"Yes, I believe I also have a pamphlet in there about the Combined Court system, and how they may be called in to serve on the Jury once their child starts Hogwarts. Because if I remember right, that would count as their Jury duty within the Muggle system." She said. "I have just found it easier to provide them with the written information as well as explaining it. Because there is a lot to process, suddenly being told your child is magical, and then having all this information about this secret society being thrown at you. It's hard to take, so I, and the other three as well, explain Hogwarts as well as what we feel they can handle, and then leave them with the folder to peruse at their leisure. We leave them with information on how to contact us so they can still ask questions if they have them."

Sharpaxe nodded, he hadn't even known she did this. "I honestly don't even know if the Ministry knows we do this." Minerva said, and Sharpaxe realized he had said it out loud. "In fact, I'm not sure if Albus even knows... I remember bringing the idea up to him once but I'm not sure if he was paying any attention." She shrugged. Sharpaxe was glad to hear that the teachers could function so well without Albus Dumbledore telling them what to do, he'd been slightly worried that they would have a problem within Hogwarts once they got rid of the man.

By this time, they had reached the front doors, "Alright, Mr. Potter, it is lunch time right now. You can keep her with you during lunch, but you will need to send her with Mipsy before you go to class." Minerva instructed the Gryffindor. When he looked slightly confused, she explained that she was friends with Charlus, so she was fairly familiar with the Potter elf. "I will let you have Mipsy bring her back for two hours after classes so you can still play with her, provided you aren't in detention, don't have homework, and don't have Quidditch practice. Keep in mind, however, that I am only allowing this because I know you will just have her here anyway, and because she is still so young. She needs contact with you for her to get attached, so you aren't a stranger to her. I know some dogs don't like strangers." She said sternly. Harry smiled blindingly at her before he hurried into the Great Hall to eat.

Minerva shook her head and turned to Sharpaxe. "I will be right back." Then she disappeared up the staircase to her classroom, and the office next to it.

When she left, Sharpaxe cast a few discreet Goblin monitoring and detection wards around the castle, then he stood back by the door and listened to the sound of children enjoying their lunch, with some exclamations over Harry's new dog.

* * *

Yes, Ginny has turned into the worst kind of fangirl, AND she's talking to Tom. Don't worry, she will snap out of it eventually. But for right now I need her like this.

I'm not sure if I'm going to have the girl make a reappearance or not yet. Let me know if you want her to, so I can start thinking of a name.


	23. Chapter 23

Through popular demand, the girl will be making a reappearance. Eventually. I even received suggestions for her name. So far, we have, Morgan, Rosetta, or Lidia. If there are any more suggestions, please let me know, or just vote between the three I already have.

* * *

 _Minerva shook her head and turned to Sharpaxe. "I will be right back." Then she disappeared up the staircase to her classroom, and the office next to it._

 _When she left, Sharpaxe cast a few discreet Goblin monitoring and detection wards around the castle, then he stood back by the door and listened to the sound of children enjoying their lunch, with some exclamations over Harry's new dog._

Rita flew fast in her beetle form, it had taken her a while, but she finally found out where and when the trial, via anonymous message, was being held for Harry Potters relatives.

She didn't care what Sharpaxe said, details about Harry Potter were what her adoring public wanted, so details they were going to get. Sharpaxe would just have to get over it.

She'd done some thinking since Sirius Black's trial, she had behaved after that under threat of losing her job, but... she was too popular with the public for them to get rid of. Getting rid of her would lose them sales. Losing sales is the last thing any business owner wanted. They wouldn't get rid of her, at the most she would have to pay a small fine and get a slap on the wrist.

So, here she was, flying towards the Muggle courthouse from where she'd apparated to nearby.

She would know what Harry Potter was hiding, the public deserved to know.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore sat back in his seat and thought. He already knew that everybody in that courtroom would be under strict vows of secrecy... well, the people they knew were in there, of course.

That was why he tipped Rita Skeeter off about where it would be and when, the note also had a mild compulsion on it to make sure she actually went, ignoring the warning given to her by Sharpaxe to leave the Potter brat alone. She would witness the trial, make sure it was front page news, and then all he had to do was go and get the full memory of it later. He knew she would be fired for this, but he didn't care. She had served her purpose, many years ago, oh, had she served her purpose. He only allowed her to continue on because he found her somewhat amusing.

He already had somebody hiding outside the courthouse, near the Apparition point, to take care of Sirius Black after the trial. He didn't often use him, but the man was one of the most skilled assassin/bounty hunters in the world, he would do the job, and he would do it right, with nothing being traced back to him. He wasn't worried about them using a Port-key from within the courtroom, that usually wasn't allowed, and he didn't see them making the allowance now. The man knew that if he couldn't get a kill shot, then make sure Black wouldn't be leaving the hospital for a long time, preferably in a coma.

He wished he were at the trial, but apparently they were making it closed to only those who actually had a reason to be there. He would have taken one of the Jury's place, polyjuiced of course, but he didn't even know who was on the Jury. That list was being kept locked away, apparently not even that idiot of a Minister had the authority to see it ahead of time. When he asked who did, he was told the Queen and the court official in charge of notifying the members ahead of time. Unfortunately, the wizarding members weren't informed until the day before, which didn't give him a chance to ask around since he was here at the school.

He glanced at the clock, the trial should be starting soon.

* * *

Ron, Hermione, and Neville sat in class, trying to concentrate on the lesson, but their minds kept wandering to Harry. They hoped he would be alright through the trial today. Hermione only paid enough attention to take detailed enough notes so they could give them to Harry afterwards.

Luckily for them, even Professor McGonagall seemed distracted this morning, or she would have called them out on it by now, probably even assigned detentions, since today they were making buttons out of beetles. She didn't tolerate inattention at any time, she tolerated it even less when they were doing practical work.

They all four hoped the trial went alright and wished they could be there for their friend/student.

* * *

Sirius sat through Garnock's fussing silently, his mind was already on the trial. Besides, all she was doing was complaining about how he overdid it yesterday. He couldn't exactly dispute her words, either. He was exhausted, despite crashing yesterday when he came back from his time in Diagon Alley. His body wasn't used to being able to be out and about like he used to be able to do.

It was ridiculous, he used to be an Auror, he could fight for hours if need be before he started feeling it, and now he could barely walk around the Alley for an hour after going with his pup to get a puppy. He was grateful that he would be sitting down for the trial, he was even more grateful that Garnock was still allowing him to go, he had been surprised when all she did was glare at him before shaking her head and muttering in Gobbledygook.

He would later find out that she only let him go because she herself was a parent, and she understood the need to be there when her children needed her. And she knew that the young Heir would need Sirius there today.

However, before she released him for the trial, she was putting him through an exam, making sure the runes on his monitoring bracelet were fully charged, and double checking how many potions he'd already taken that day so she knew how many she could safely send with Barchoke for him. She didn't want him to overdose on Pepper-up or Calming Draughts, after all.

She had already given him the lecture on not pushing his body faster than it could handle, she said that, best case scenario of overdoing it, he would be in here longer than initially planned, meaning he could potentially miss out on Christmas with Harry. Which, of course, made him think of the most recent letter from Narcissa, inviting him and Harry to spend Yule with her and her family. While he did want to celebrate Yule again, he hadn't properly celebrated it since Uncle Charlus and Aunt Dorea died, he also didn't know what Harry wanted to do. He wanted Harry to eventually fully embrace his wizarding heritage, which meant celebrating wizarding holidays, but he didn't want to push him too fast.

He would have to talk to him about it. Harry would be used to Muggle holidays, and he didn't know how Harry was used to celebrating them. Or, he thought darkly, if Harry was used to celebrating them at all. He was left with Petunia after all. Who knew how that woman raised him.

He narrowed his eyes in thought, he would just have to call Mipsy and have her find their old two-way mirrors. He couldn't remember where he last saw them. He thought James had his with him at Godric's Hollow, so it should be in the vault, but he couldn't remember where he left his. Because he and Harry needed to sit down and talk. Get to know each other a bit more, and he needed to know how Harry grew up. He knew what it was like to grow up in a bad environment, he needed to know how bad Harry had it so he knew how to handle stuff like discipline, and just being around Harry in general.

He also wanted to know so he would have an idea of how fast he could push Harry when it came to inserting himself as the boys father.

For now though, he needed to just get through this trial. He just hoped he held it together for Harry.

* * *

Alastor Moody stood by the door, watching to make sure everyone who came in swore their Oaths of Silence. When Amelia had come to him and asked him to be at the trial for Harry Potters relatives, his first thought was that they couldn't go to prison or be sent to the mines, Harry Potter was safe there, from the Death Eaters and anyone else who wished him harm.

Then his brain caught up to reality.

Harry was going to be staying with Sirius from now on, Sirius was the boys godfather/father after all. And Severus was the boys godfather as well. Between the two of them, Harry would never be seeing the Dursley's again, even if they weren't going on trial and about to be locked away before finishing out the rest of their lives in the goblin mines.

Which reminded him, he still had yet to pay Sirius a visit, he hadn't done it yet because, well... he wasn't quite sure what he was going to say or how Sirius was going to receive him.

It wasn't every day, after all, that your mentor- somebody you looked up to, admired, that taught you everything you knew- abandoned you to Azkaban. Believed everything they said about you and then just left you there. As if you never meant anything, as if he hadn't invited you into his home and shared drinks and a lot of laughs over his kitchen table. As if you hadn't fought by his side for years against your own family. Your cousin, even your beloved baby brother. As if he hadn't told everyone who could hear how proud he was of your accomplishments, when every single smallest compliment from him was hard earned.

He wasn't sure how Sirius was going to receive him, he didn't know if Sirius could ever forgive him for abandoning him. He should have questioned it more, he should have looked up trial transcripts, then he would have known that there was no trial, and he would have given him one, then he wouldn't have spent all these years in there. He didn't, he failed one of the only two boys he ever did right by. Both of them, actually, if he really thought about it. He failed James too, when he did nothing to help his brother-in-all-but-blood, Sirius.

Mentally, he snorted. If anyone could hear his thoughts now... they would probably drag him in for questioning on who he was and what he did with Alastor Moody. After all, the Great Mad-eye Moody didn't have regrets, or fears.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when Sharpaxe arrived with another figure he'd failed when he didn't question Sirius's imprisonment.

Harry.

* * *

Harry entered the courtroom nervously, following Sharpaxe. He knew that everyone here would have taken extensive Oaths of Silence and there were wards all over the place to keep unwanted people out, but still. These were strangers, and they were about to hear all about his home life before being rescued by Sharptooth and Griphook. Well, maybe rescued was a bit strong, he had been in the middle of an escape after all.

He looked around, Hedwig 'washing' his hair (making it look worse and ruining all of Hermione's hard work on it), and was disappointed when he noticed Sirius and Barchoke weren't here yet. He knew that the only reason Sirius would even be allowed in the door was because the man was his guardian. He had made up his mind that until Sirius called himself Harry's father, then Harry wouldn't refer to him as a father. As much as it hurt that Sirius wasn't acknowledging it. He also decided that he should probably get to know the man better before he started calling him any variant of 'father'. That word sounded strange even in his head...

He shook his head to focus back on the trial that was going to start just as soon as everyone was here. It was going to take a while since everyone (except for him, Sirius, and the goblins) was being made to take their Oaths at the door.

He was led to his seat, and as soon as he sat down, Hedwig hopped off his shoulder to sit on his lap. He was only allowed to bring her in with him because she was his familiar, and apparently the representative from the Wizarding Children's Agency said it would be good for him, and it would keep him calmer than a calming draught could. Her words, not his. He could have probably brought his puppy, except... she was a puppy. She was in no way house-broken. Not that cleaning up any messes she made would be hard. He would have Mipsy bring her to Hogwarts tonight, after the trial, and just spend time somewhere with just her and Hedwig. Away from people for a while.

He had been so nervous, that he spent most of last night baking in his kitchen with Neville and Ron sampling most of his creations while Hermione did some homework in the corner. He had tried several new recipes, and even created one, he had been so nervous he couldn't remember any of his usual recipes, so he pulled out a recipe book and then made one up. It actually turned out pretty good. He had written it down after he got the seal of approval from Ron. As nervous as he was, he'd actually enjoyed making that one, he should create new recipes more often. He'd have to get a binder or a notebook though, to keep them in so they didn't get lost. After Hermione noticed the time, she'd hustled all the boys off to bed, not that Harry stayed there long, after a while he crept off to his library to read some more of his family journals.

They were very interesting! Apparently, the Potter Manor that was standing now, wasn't the original manor. The original wasn't even a manor, it was more like a castle. An actual castle, like Buckingham Palace sized castle. Until it burned down (this was apparently before fire-suppression wards were invented. Actually, he thought this event might have been the REASON why fire-suppression wards were invented. Knowing what he'd read so far, it wouldn't surprise him). It wasn't even originally called the Potter Manor. Apparently, the original home was known as the Shire Abbey.

Where it got that name, he didn't know. It was probably in some of the earlier journals. Luckily, they and the House-elves had managed to get everything of value, especially the Library, out before the fire spread too far and it became too dangerous to go in anymore (magical fires were apparently almost impossible to put out). It was after the place burned that the family opened a new vault in Gringotts just for the library. The books currently kept in the manor were just copies of everything (copied using a spell created just for getting around copyright wards, it was in the Grimoire somewhere), the originals were kept in the vault just in case something happened to the manor again. Some of those books, were apparently one of the very, very few copies left in existence. If they got destroyed, there would be no getting another.

When he tried to figure out why the name changed from Shire Abbey to Potter Manor, he couldn't find it in the journals, so he figured that they probably didn't think of it when the place got rebuilt. Either that, or the wizarding public starting calling it 'the Potters new manor' and the name just stuck. Or something like that. Either way, the Lord Potter clearly hadn't thought it important, or was too lazy to bother with it.

He was thinking about changing it back to what it originally was though. Shire Abbey... he liked it. It was much more original than 'Potter Manor.' Honestly, how many pureblood homes were there in the country that were 'Family-name' Manor? It wasn't very original or creative at all. And from what he'd read so far, the Potter Family was very good at creating.

He looked around the courtroom, thinking about his parents, and what they would think of all this. He already knew that he couldn't ask them, they didn't have portraits, not like the rest of the Potter Family did. Sharpaxe told them that it was tradition for the Lord and Lady to get their portrait done after they became Lord and Lady. But... everything had happened so fast; Harry's grandparents dying, James graduating, James claiming the title, getting married, Auror training, having Harry, being an Auror, going into hiding, and then being killed. There hadn't been a chance for them to get a portrait done. Thinking about his parents then had him thinking about the letters that Sharpaxe had given him, that day he visited his personal vault. His hands went to the tooth around his neck, and his fingers rubbed the designs etched into it as he read through the letters again in his head.

 _Harry sat on his bed in Longbottom Manor, turning the envelopes over in his hands. These were from his_ parents. _They wrote these for him. His attention was taken off the envelopes when Hedwig hooted, pushing exasperation and impatience down the link. Apparently she wanted him to just open and read them already. He quirked a small grin at her before he finally, finally opened them._

 _He ended up opening his father's first, judging by the name at the bottom._

Harry,

This is Lily's idea. We know we are being targeted, and we know full well that we probably aren't going to survive this war. We were going to take you and run- head to one of the overseas properties, or take a port-key to one of the Founders properties (the port-keys are kept in the Main Vault, in case you were not yet aware), nobody even knows they exist- don't know why we changed our minds, to be honest. So, Lily had this idea that we would write you a new letter every other month and leave it in your vault at Gringotts, along with the souvenirs and knickknacks we picked up for you during our travels. We are also leaving the photo albums made during those travels in there (one album for every trip). That way, when you grew up, you would have something. Personally, I would rather this whole idea wasn't needed, but... especially since we haven't yet had a chance to get our portrait done.

Harry, I don't know how old you are now, or how long you've been without us. But, whatever has happened in your life, no matter what decisions you've made, know that I am proud of you. I could never be anything else.

At the moment, I'm sitting in the kitchen, listening to Lily and Sirius play with you out in the living room, well, I say play... but mostly they're trying to keep you from running over the cat with that broom Sirius got you... again. I don't know what it is with you and that cat... one moment we'll catch him curled up around you while you sleep, hissing at anyone who approaches- even us- and the next you are trying to run the poor thing over and he wants nothing to do with you. Here, I'll try and find a picture of it and leave it with the letters. I'm sure we've taken one at some point. If not, I'll make sure to take one. I'm sure it'll happen again between now and if we're found.

I can't begin to tell you how maddening it is, being stuck here. Knowing that there's a war going on outside our door, and we can't do anything to help. Don't you dare feel guilty about that by the way, we went into hiding to protect you, we're your parents, that's our job. As long as your safe, I could care less if the Dark Lord Voldemort won, as long as you were safe and happy.

Dumbledore would not be happy if I ever told him that, would he? According to him, you are one of two possible prophecy children, prophesied to defeat Voldemort. He's told us that the other possible child was Neville Longbottom, my godson. But, for some reason... he seems to have decided that it will be you. Despite the fact that he has no say in who this prophecy will be. It even sounds more self-fulfilling than anything, the only way I can see that prophecy being 'activated', is if Voldemort actually does show up here and try to kill you. (Not going to happen if I have any say in it).

Harry, if Dumbledore is still around, you must be careful around him. I don't like the way he was looking at you, the last time he saw you. It was... calculating. Like he was making plans, plans he has no business making about my boy.

There's another thing, Harry. If we are gone, and it was because of that prophecy, IT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT. No matter what anybody else said. We are not being targeted solely because of that prophecy. We were being targeted before we ever learned of that prophecy, we haven't exactly been idle in this war, Harry. We have fought against the Dark Lord's army almost since the day we left Hogwarts. I, personally, have made a bit of a name for myself, during that fight. Which is only natural, I am a Potter, after all. We tend to make names for ourselves on the battlefield, and sometimes off. When you start looking through the Grimoire and family journals, you will understand that a bit more.

You're probably wondering, why we decided on Godric's Hollow in the end, since we obviously didn't head to any of the 'non-existent' properties. Well, it's the home I bought for your mother. She didn't want to raise you in that big manor of mine, she was raised in Cokeworth, to an upper middle-class family, and I think she felt a little overwhelmed when faced with the obvious wealth of my family, and the size of my childhood home. So, I bought her this small cottage (small for me, she says it's still pretty big), where she could be comfortable. And, with the Fidelius, the only way we'll be found, is if Peter squeals on us.

To be honest, Harry... I don't really know why we switched from Sirius to Peter. Yes, Sirius made a good point, that he would be the obvious choice, it would be an extra layer of security, since they would go after Sirius and leave Peter alone. But... my parents have always told me to trust in innocence. That probably doesn't make much sense, does it? Well, to put it bluntly, Harry, you hate Peter. You want nothing to do with him. He comes into the room, and you start pitching such a fit if we're not right there with you. Even when we are with you, you still make a bit of a fuss until he leaves. It has been said, that the eyes of the innocent see more clearly than others. There's clearly something you see in him, and I don't know what it is, but just in case, I am going to leave here tomorrow to head to Gringotts, and change my will. I should be able to convince Lily to come with me. Mipsy can watch you for a bit, she loves taking care of you.

And, if something happens to us and it's Peter's doing, then... in the future, maybe in the next century or two, (it better not be any earlier than that, you hear me young man?) when you're all grown up, and pass quietly in your sleep of old age (it better be old age after living a long and full life and not because you went and did something stupid and reckless), then you can tell me 'I told you so' all you want.

I should go, it's almost time to put you to bed, and after that Lily will be wanting to go to bed too. She hasn't been feeling the best lately. She's been sick the past few mornings... I both hope for and wish it's not what I think it is. This isn't the time for that... not in the middle of this war, not while we're in hiding.

Remember, I'm proud of you and I love you. Always.

Your father,

James

 _Harry didn't even notice the tears in his eyes until he felt Hedwig rubbing her head against his cheeks, trying to wipe the tears away. He gave her a watery smile before a quick search through the envelope revealed the promised picture. Instead of one, he got two. He laughed when he saw baby him racing after a cat on a small toddler broom, and he smiled when he saw that same cat curled around a sleeping baby Harry, eyeing the person behind the camera with suspicion, already pulling his lips back in a hiss. The cat had one of his paws stretched out over Harry's chest, and it looked like he was gently kneading it, without the claws, of course._

 _He summoned his photo album, that he got from Hagrid, and put the pictures away inside of it, he paused to consider the few pictures he had inside of him, Ron, and Hermione. Maybe he should get a separate album for those pictures... keep this one just for his parents. Then he turned to the other letter, the one from his mother. He hesitated again before he opened it, too. When he carefully pulled the letter out, he checked inside for more pictures, but was disappointed not to find anymore, instead, he found a locket, which he set aside to look at later._

My dearest boy,

I wish I was with you right now, and not communicating in a letter after so many years down the road. I don't want to leave you, but it may be unavoidable... we just have to hope that Peter stays true, if we could change Secret Keepers I would have it done in a heartbeat.

I can only hope the goblins were successful in getting our Wills carried out, so, with any luck, you should have been raised by Sirius and Severus. They will raise you right, well, Sirius will be the one to spoil you, while Severus will make sure you stay grounded in that regard... If our Wills were not able to be carried out, then I will haunt that crazy old man for the rest of eternity. I don't care that it might be too late to come back as a ghost, I will find a way.

Oh, Harry, I love you so much. I know that, no matter what, you will survive.

The protection rituals I found in the Potter library and Grimoire will ensure that. I've found this in the Grimoire, so it is a Family ritual, but I've also found it in other books, which according to James means that it is one of the few rituals created by the Family that the Family has shared with the rest of the world. Probably has to do with world events around the time it was created or shared... I will have to look up the time-frame this was created in. Later though... if I can get over to the Main House, we have to be careful, even going back and forth between our properties, the Floo could be watched. We know that Voldemort has men everywhere. Back to the ritual, unfortunately, the other books this ritual is in, were banned by the Ministry for being 'Dark'.

I don't know why, the only thing about them that could be considered Dark is that they involve willing self-sacrifice or blood, other than that, they are ALL protection-oriented. Whether it be for your own protection, or for the protection of another, like in this case. The Ministry is full of bigots, they never look past the requirements or, in some cases the end result (the Killing Curse), to see what it DOES.

Always remember, baby, the world is not as black and white as Professor Dumbledore and the Ministry would like you to believe. You still need to be careful of those Black areas though.

Harry, you must stay safe. No matter what happens to us, you have to remain safe. I don't want to see you following us until you have lived a full life, and pass peacefully in bed surrounded by all my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Although I don't really like the thought of you passing away EVER, never mind when it happens.

I know earlier in this letter, I said that Sirius would be the one to spoil you. Well, while that will be true, I also know that, as much as he has always said he's not parent material, he's more of the fun uncle type, I know he will still raise you with proper discipline even if Severus can't always be there due to... circumstances. He certainly read enough parenting books when he found out Marlene was pregnant... therefore I know that you will grow up right.

But, if you weren't raised by Sirius and Severus, then I want you to always remember, that we love you and are proud of you. Also, I will do what I can to come back and haunt Severus and Sirius if they have just abandoned you, they better have a good reason for not raising you as they should. Although, if that is the case, then it can probably all be blamed on Albus Dumbledore.

Harry, be careful around him. James has been sharing some of his concerns with me lately, and I don't want to believe it, but I'm trusting my husband's judgement, he's been in the wizarding world longer, he's known Professor Dumbledore longer.

Be safe, my dear. Always, be safe.

With lots of love,

Lily

 _By the time he was done reading this, all he could do was curl up on his bed, with his face shoved in his pillow, and cry. He knew that he hadn't survived through anything he did, he knew it was all his mother._

 _He eventually managed to calm down enough to look at the locket, which was heart-shaped, and in the frames, was a small family picture on one side, with a small picture of just him on the other. After that, he eventually cried himself to sleep, with Hedwig sending a feeling of comfort through their Bond._

 _If either of the Longbottom's noticed the tear-streaks and puffy eyes the next morning, or how subdued he seemed, neither of them said a word._

Harry was startled out of his thoughts by a sudden hand on his shoulder, when he looked over, he smiled tightly when he realized it was Sirius, he was a little shocked to see that the doors were closed, meaning everyone who was supposed to be here was finally inside.

Not only that, but two people (one dressed in formal robes, the other dressed as a Muggle judge), were standing in front of him, looking concerned.

"Sorry, what?" He asked, embarrassed, "I was just thinking about something."

The one in robes nodded, "I asked if you would be alright, Mr. Potter." He said. Harry scooted closer to Sirius and pulled Hedwig closer, suddenly even more nervous than before, before he nodded. "Alright, well, everyone is here, so we will go and clear up a few last minute details, and then we can get started. Let us know, if you need to stop, we can take a recess." He said, and Harry nodded in understanding. Then he turned to Sirius, "I realize you were just released from Azkaban, if you need to stop for a bit, let us know." Sirius nodded and wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders.

As they turned to go back into a side chamber to discuss, there was a commotion by the door when a ward flared to life, putting the Aurors and officers on duty on alert. Sharpaxe narrowed his eyes, "That's the anti-animagus ward we put up." He called to them. A moment later, a blonde-haired woman with fake nails and jeweled, green glasses appeared, trying to keep her balance after the abrupt change back to human form and grimacing in pain from the fact that it was a force change.

While the wizards in the room gaped (or as close to it as some of them would ever get), Sharpaxe and Barchoke approached her with sharp grins on their faces. Moody also started towards her, "Rita Skeeter. An unregistered Animagus. This certainly explains how some of those classified reports ended up being leaked to the press... Amelia will be happy to know that it's not anybody in her department. She's been trying to find the leak for years... and all this time the press was leaking the stories to themselves..." He muttered to himself as he slapped magic-suppressing cuffs on her and took her wand.

She was still too disoriented from the force change to notice what he was doing until it was too late. She was also trying to work through her disorientation to try and change back so she could make her escape, but with no luck. The anti-animagus wards wouldn't allow it.

"There's one security breach found..." One of the Jury members muttered. He worked in the DMLE as a 'desk Sergeant', or, as he liked to call it, a glorified secretary for all the Aurors. When they delivered reports, unless Madam Bones ordered it to be delivered to her personally, they handed them in to him, and he organized them by order of importance. Which meant he, and the other two 'secretaries', were the ones that handled a lot of that classified information that was constantly getting leaked. As a result, he and his other two co-workers ended up getting interrogated with Veritaserum regarding how that information got out. They went through a lot of interrogations...

Sharpaxe narrowed his eyes at her, before asking that they just leave her in the holding cells under the courthouse to deal with later. And to make double sure she didn't escape.

* * *

I had a few complaints on how unoriginal the name 'Potter Manor' was. Well, that was done on purpose. I was trying to incorporate it into some of the Family history I'm setting up. And now you know what the original name was.

Also... if anybody with legal experience, particularly in the courtroom, would like to message me about how a trial is usually handled, that would be great too. I want to get it as close to reality as possible. I realize that Sirius's trial wasn't anywhere close to being realistic, that was because it was impromptu and Veritaserum was involved.


	24. Chapter 24

Also, did anybody catch the hint I dropped at the end of James letter to Harry? Anyone?

In case it has not been clear, I do try and make my writing as close to realistic as possible while also trying to keep it somewhat in line with cannon and how the wizarding world would do things. Which means that I do research a little bit if a topic comes up that I'm not completely familiar with. That being said, court procedure is a huge topic, and sometimes also depends a little bit on the individual judge. I apologize now for any and all obvious issues that any legal people reading this finds. Keep in mind I'm mixing what little I know of normal court system in general, with what I feel the wizarding court system would do things.

Also, this chapter does sort of bring up a controversial, and possibly painful for some, topic. It's just how I see the Dursley's treatment of Harry to have been.

Here is what I have for the suggestions for the Muggleborn girls name:

 **Morgan (or Morganna) 2**  
 **Lidia 2**  
 **Allegra (Italian for Joyous)**  
 **Rosetta 2**

* * *

The judges shared a look when Rita Skeeter appeared, but left when it was clear the Aurors had the situation handled.

"I hate this." Judge Marie Thomas grumbled to her wizarding colleague when they were alone. That boy shouldn't be anywhere near this courtroom, let alone being called to give testimony. That boy sitting in her courtroom was nervous, and scared. Nothing like what her Dean told her about Harry Potter, it wasn't right.

"It's either this, or they go straight to the Mines without answering for their other crimes." Arbiter Robert Johnson reminded. "According to the Treaty between the Goblin nation and the Muggle government, the Goblins have to let the Muggle government handle the initial punishment of their own human citizens, if any punishment is to be had, before handing them over to the Goblins to be judged according to Goblin law. And there is plenty for the Muggle government to punish them for."

Thomas made a face. "Stupid treaty." She muttered while she rifled through Vernon Dursley's file and skimmed through the notes made by his lawyer, a Mr. Simmons..., to make sure the more pressing details would be fresh in her mind, and to remind herself what Simmons was trying to get at the end of the day. They were going for not-guilty to the charges of neglect and abuse, along with a reduced sentence for assaulting the arresting officers.

He was even trying to get the charges of embezzlement dropped... which was stupid since the Court wasn't even charging them for embezzlement, that was the Goblins jurisdiction in this case. And they'd already been found guilty and sentenced according to Goblin Law, and as per the wishes of the late Lily and James Potter.

Simmons clearly didn't understand that, instead of getting reduced sentences and not-guilty verdicts, he should be trying to get them as long in prison as possible, that way their time in the Mines was postponed for as long as possible. Because no matter what happened here, the Dursley's were going to live out the rest of their lives after prison in the Goblin Mines.

And she'd heard that the Mines were not somewhere you wanted to be. Especially since the Goblins didn't have the kind of laws that the Muggle world had, protecting workers and prisoners from inhumane and unethical treatment. Actually, the wizarding world in general didn't seem to have those kind of laws at all... Azkaban came to mind...

"This is going to be difficult to stay objective." She muttered. "My oldest son shares a dorm with Mr. Potter, you know."

Johnson snorted. "My niece is on the Gryffindor Quidditch team with him. Not to mention all the Boy-Who-Lived business..." He trailed off, thinking it was a good thing he'd long ago sworn a magical Oath to be objective in all cases, or lose his magic. He started flicking through the file for Petunia Dursley after setting Vernon's aside. Her file included a note from the social worker in charge of Dudley Dursley. Since she was the mother... sort of. Considering the lack of discipline in that boy... she wasn't much of a mother.

He paused when he saw a note about one Sirius Black applying for custody of the boy. Included in his custody application was a tentative schedule for Sirius's recovery (provided by Garnock), as well as a list of reputable Muggle boarding schools Sirius knew of that should be better for the boy than Smeltings was. He blinked in surprise, but nodded in approval and moved on. Looked like Sirius didn't want the boy to suffer in the system. It was a good system, but it had its flaws.

They were both brought out of their thoughts by a knock on the door. "Yes?" Thomas called.

"Ma'am? Sir? We're ready out here when you are. Vernon Dursley is out of holding and is in the room." One of the officers said after poking his head in.

"Alright, thank you, we'll be right out." Johnson said.

Thomas took a deep breath before gathering all the papers and turning to Johnson. "Shall we?" She asked, gesturing towards the door. She was nervous, this was her first time in the Combined Court.

"After you." He said, opening the door and holding it for her. When they reached the courtroom, he stopped with his hand on the doorknob and set his other hand on her shoulder. "I know this is you first case in the Combined Court. Remember, just focus on Muggle Law, that's your area here, that's why there are two of us. Leave the Wizarding Law to me. It's just another case." He said reassuringly. He knew that, eventually, she would know Wizarding Law just as well as she knew the Muggle Law, but that would be a few years down the road.

She took another breath before smiling and nodding at him gratefully. Johnson nodded back before he opened the door and waited for the officer to start announcing their presence.

When they got to their seats, they studied those in the room as they took a second to shuffle their paper or parchment work. They both mentally frowned when they noticed that an Auror was already standing between Vernon Dursley and his nephew, blocking Dursley's view everytime he tried to lean around to keep glaring and hissing threats at his nephew. Sirius had his arm around Harry and was holding the boy close while glaring at Dursley himself. Harry himself had his face pressed into his owls feathers while his body was plastered against Sirius. The owl was alternating between glaring at Dursley and making what could pass as comforting noises at her human.

They exchanged a look. They knew the boy shouldn't be here.

* * *

Severus was sitting in his office, alternating between grading essays and worksheets from the past few days, catching up on paperwork that piled up while he helped Pomona, and drawing up something of a plan for what he was going to do for the Slytherin Team tryouts. Since he had an entire team to replace this year. He'd already marked down that, if he out-flew everyone and earned his spot back, Terrance Higgs would be the Captain this year, since he'd been on the team before. He would probably be the only returning player...

He was also watching the clock, the trial should be starting right about then, if not a little later. He was broken out of his thoughts when his office door banged open. He looked up, annoyed and about ready to yell at whoever it was, but instead of somebody for him to yell at, it was Lucius Malfoy.

Wonderful, just what his day needed.

He let his annoyance show on his face briefly before he schooled his features, and the only sign of his surprise that he showed was a slow blink. Setting his quill down, he drawled, "Lucius, What can I do for you, your son's grades are excellent as always, if that's what you want." Oh, he knew perfectly well what Lucius was here for, he'd actually been expecting him sooner.

"Of course Draco's grades are excellent, why would they not be?" Lucius asked, a hint of pride in his voice that was covered up with his annoyance and anger at Severus taking his son off the Quidditch team. The fact that Severus actually temporarily disbanded the Quidditch team itself seemed to not really matter to him. "That's not why I am here and you know it." Lucius snapped.

"Ah," Severus drawled again, reaching out to shuffle parchments until he 'found' what he was looking for. He had kept the forged note, as well as a copy of the letter from the chairman of the Board of Governors, commending him on his actions regarding the behavior of his Snakes and thanking him for discovering the forgery ring among the students, also assuring him that his actions would be put on the students records if they had to break into the records room and do it themselves. Dumbledore had taken the original copy for some odd reason. Probably to use as target practice. "Yes... I do appreciate your donation to the Slytherin Quidditch team, and rest assured, the brooms will be put to their intended use in out-flying the competition as soon as I find new players to fly them."

Lucius narrowed his eyes at the man his wife had once tried to get him to name as godfather for his son, after he punished her for her back-talk, she never brought it up again. Of course, it was also after that that she ensured he knew better than to ever touch her like that again (he was rather painfully reminded why you never anger a Black), insolent woman. It was a good thing he refused though, despite his accomplishments, he was still a filthy half-blood. "And, I am sure you remember that my son should have been the one riding one of those brooms? He is the best flyer in this school, surely taking him off the team would damage the team's chances." He said silkily.

Oh, that wasn't what he was really saying. He could probably care less for the team, and more to the fact that to be on one of the Quidditch teams was a big honor and testament to the players skills on a broom. They only took the best at tryouts, after all. And, since Quidditch was such a big sport, anybody that was even remotely decent on a broom, usually tried out. To be kicked off the team... was a massive disgrace.

A disgrace he had just put on Draco Malfoy's shoulders. And his father was not happy about his son being disgraced.

And then there was the fact of his son being on Probation for the rest of the year. If he didn't behave himself, he could be suspended or expelled.

"Your son was caught willfully sabotaging another team, as was the rest of the former Slytherin team members. Per Quidditch league rules, the entire team has been dismissed. If this had been professional or even semi-professional Quidditch, the results would have been the same. Immediate dismissal from the team. And, per school rules and the Hogwarts Charter upon which this school was founded, they have been placed on probation." Severus said, sitting back in his chair, relaxed, which put Lucius on edge. Every Death Eater knew to avoid making him angry when he was 'relaxed'.

Lucius tried to put on a less confrontational face, but Severus was good at reading people, "There is no changing your mind on this, is there?" Lucius asked shortly. At this point he was trying to rein in his temper, and to keep from snapping at the Half-Blood who thought he could punish Draco like this, like one of the common folk. Only Severus' position within the Death Eaters was keeping him from pulling his wand and hexing the Professor.

"No." Severus said simply. "They got caught doing illegal activities. This incident was big enough that it couldn't be handled in-house, Professor McGonagall was brought in before I was even aware of the situation, over half the school has been implicated, including most of Slytherin House. I have a hard enough time dealing with the other Houses bullying and ostracizing the Snakes and thinking we are evil without having to deal with covering this up too. At least, with Ravens and Lions also being implicated in this, the other students can't point at Slytherin and try to say that it was because we are all dark and evil. They would have to point fingers at themselves first, and they won't want to do that." Severus said with his head tilted slightly, the closest he would ever get to a shrug outside of his quarters and when not with his godson.

Lucius glared for a moment, before he asked. "How long is his suspension from the team?"

"All former Slytherin team members have the chance to earn their spot on the team back. IF they keep their grades up to a level I will accept, and stay out of further trouble, they will have the chance to try out for the team again after Yule holidays. At the moment, I already know who I want as captain, provided he makes a good showing at tryouts."

Lucius looked like he swallowed a lemon. "I see." He said. He wasn't worried about Draco's grades being good, he was more concerned about Draco staying out of trouble. Draco had told him about his confrontations the year before with the Potter Brat and the blood-traitor, and now this year Narcissa was starting to exert her authority as the member of a Primary House. Now that Lord Black was back, she was saying she'd been lax in teaching Draco how to act like a proper Black. He didn't think Draco would actually listen to the woman, but that could also be a problem on its own. Since the Potter brat, that Draco seemed to have labeled as some kind of rival for some strange reason, also happened to be Heir Black.

* * *

He sat outside the courthouse where his target was. He was honestly looking forward to this, out of all the marks he's had, he'd never been hired to take care of a Black before. Of course, back in the day, they were one of those Families where you had to have a death wish to even consider taking one of their members out. Not to mention, there weren't many of them left anymore.

He was almost looking forward to the challenge that this Black was sure to provide.

A skilled Hit-Wizard, a Black, the Lord Black for that matter. Oh, sure, this one was still recovering from Azkaban, and that would take away some of the challenge, but still. A Black was a Black, and a Hit-Wizard was a Hit-Wizard.

He should know, he used to be one himself, after all. Until he was fired for his conduct on a case, he maintained that he did nothing wrong. Of course though, being fired from such a prestigious position, put him on a sort of black-list. Nobody would hire him, despite his skills, previous job experience, they wouldn't even look at his OWL or NEWT scores. So, he became a killer for hire.

And his current target? Lord Black, former Hit-Wizard.

And the same Hit-Wizard that filed the report that lost him his job.

* * *

Harry watched, shocked, as the Aurors dealt with Rita Skeeter. He felt a little better about this, knowing that the press wasn't going to be able to sneak in, they had just tried and been caught.

When she was gone, protesting the whole way about how she had a right to be there, the people had a right to know what their savior was hiding, and finally about how they would be sorry if they lost sales because she wasn't there to write for them anymore.

Sharpaxe and Barchoke actually snorted at that, and they started muttering together in their language for a bit. When they finally turned to Harry, Sharpaxe quickly explained that the _Daily Prophet_ was the only major news outlet in the Wizarding UK. They didn't have to worry about sales. They had actually already been drawing up the paperwork to have her fired, anyway. Too many articles that were 99% lies, and .5% truth, with a little bit of insinuation included. Not to mention, how she got some of her information, she could actually be charged with treason, depending on just what information she got her greedy hands on from within the Ministry. The _Daily Prophet_ did not need to be associated with that.

Once Rita was gone, Mad-eye spoke quietly to one of the officers to go get Vernon Dursley. Harry stiffened when he was brought in, in shackles. It was clear that they had to link several sets together to get them to fit around his rolls of fat. Runes were glowing on the individual chain links, letting the wizards know that they were magically reinforced.

The man may be all fat, and no muscle, but he had a lot of weight to throw into it if he wanted to break out. The chains could probably only hold up against so much before they just couldn't take it anymore.

When Dursley saw Harry, his face twisted into a sneer and he started hissing, "You little Freak, when I get my hands on you again, you are dead, do you hear me? Dead. I should have known better than to be so soft on you, I should have beat the snot out of you more often." The more he spoke, the more Harry shrunk in on himself, the harder he held onto Hedwig, and the tighter Sirius held him. One of the Aurors noticed what was happening, and Silenced the Muggle, but the man continued to glare.

Simmons noticed the Jury watching with wide eyes and quickly started quietly berating Dursley to get him to stop digging himself into a hole, but Dursley ignored him and kept glaring. Nathan Simmons was honestly starting to sweat now, the trial hadn't even started yet, and Vernon Dursley was already digging himself a giant hole! What was wrong with the man?

Sirius looked down in concern, Harry was shaking like a leaf and he knew that if it wasn't for the Calming Draughts in his system and the boy in his arms, he would be trying to kill Dursley with his bare hands right about now. Annoyed and angry, he gestured with his head for one of the Aurors to get between them already. When the man didn't move fast enough, he glared him into moving faster. The Auror didn't hesitate to move faster, and when he got there he had to continue moving side to side so he could keep Harry out of Dursley's sight when Dursley kept trying to glare at Harry around him.

Simmons was hissing in his ear to knock it off, the Jury was watching, but he continued to ignore it. That brat was the cause of all this, and that brat was going to regret the day he was born as soon as this idiot lawyer got him off the charges. His life, and his family, was ruined. His bank accounts and home had been seized by the Freak bank, he'd been informed that about half of what was seized would be held for Dudley in trust, (which was some relief since Dudley wasn't going to be completely penniless) but their lives were ruined. They would never be able to return to Privet Drive, even if their house didn't now belong to that Freak. And he would never be able to access what money they had left, either. It was all going to be handled by the bank until Dudley was of age. No matter who Dudley ended up getting as his legal guardian, since they had also been informed that they were never going to have custody of their son again. He would contest that later.

After this farce of a trial was over.

He was interrupted when the judges came in, and he was forced to his feet by one of the freaks. When they were finally allowed to be seated again, he resumed trying to glare at his freak nephew through the Auror standing between them.

"We have Vernon Dursley vs Harry Potter and the people of Great Britain." An official said, watching a Dicta-Quill to make sure it was working. "The Honorable Judge Marie Thomas from the city of London and Arbiter Robert Johnson of the Ministry of Magic preside. Opening statements will be first provided by the barrister of the Defendant, Nathan Simmons, followed by the plaintiff's representative, Theodore Tonks."

Thomas nodded, then motioned for Simmons to begin. "Thank you, your Honor." Simmons said, nodding to the judge, but ignoring the arbiter. Johnson raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't say anything. He turned to the Jury, "Vernon Dursley is a good, upstanding citizen. He has a successful, loving marriage, a son, and a good job in a successful company. He lives in a good neighborhood, a safe neighborhood. Until, one day, when he opened the door to find his one year old nephew on his doorstep. Attached to the child, was a letter, explaining that this child, his nephew, was in danger from the followers of the Dark Lord Voldemort." He paused a moment to let the wizards in the room get their bearings again, he didn't like saying it either, but his monikers were unprofessional. He hoped this worked, he was trying to convince them that the Dursley's had only been trying to protect their nephew, and keep him hidden away for his own safety.

"They now had to raise a child who was in danger from a world that the Dursley's wanted no part of, who was dropped on their doorstep without so much as a by-your-leave. According to the letter, his nephew was in danger from the people that followed the Dark Lord, so, he did what was logical. He hid the child, made sure that no trace of the child was seen in the house, because if there were signs, then he might be found that much easier, putting them all in greater danger. All Mr. Dursley has ever tried to do is protect his nephew." He finished with a (what he hoped, anyway) convincing smile. It would certainly be better if his idiot client wasn't still glaring at the boy he was supposed to 'care for' and have been protecting all these years! "Thank you." He said in the direction of the Jury with a small bow and went back to his seat.

"Mr. Tonks?" Johnson asked after a moment. Ted glanced at Simmons for a second before he got up, thanked the judge AND arbiter, and turned to the Jury himself.

"When we hear the name Harry Potter, the first things we usually think about, is Savior, Hero, a boy who has everything. We never consider, that, perhaps that was not the case. Eleven years ago, Mr. Vernon Dursley woke up to his wife screaming after finding a child on their doorstep, their newly orphaned nephew. Most people would, probably curse the man who left their nephew on the cold doorstep in November, and then take care of the child. This is not the case here. Yes, the child was in danger from the followers of the Dark Lord Voldemort, however, where in that does it constitute not even giving the child a bedroom? Where in that does it constitute not even feeding the child? Giving him proper clothing? He had a good job, he could afford clothes, food, toys. He could have done all that while still keeping the child safe and hidden. But he didn't.

He put a small child, who had just seen his parents killed in front of him, inside a cupboard under the stairs, and left him there. Didn't feed him more than needed to keep him breathing and relatively healthy looking so nobody would ask too many questions." He finished and glanced at Harry, who was still cowering near his dogfather. "Thank you." He said before he turned to sit down too. The Jury stirred, but didn't say anything. Simmons inwardly groaned, there was no way he was winning this case. The most he could do now was get as lenient a sentence as humanly possible.

Thomas made a note on her pad and nodded to Johnson, who said, "Simmons, you can present your case." He said, making his own notes.

"Thank you, your Honor." Simmons said, acting as if Thomas had been the one to speak. It was clear he agreed to many of Vernon's views regarding wizards, either that or he was just trying to keep Vernon happy.

"I would like to ask Mrs. Smith to come up?" He said. What followed was what many people in the room considered to be a farce. There were several Muggles that were being used as witnesses, they were told just enough about the wizarding world, not that magic was real, of course, but enough that they would need to be obliviated after this. Another thing they didn't know, was that they had been given small amounts of Veritaserum earlier so they wouldn't try and lie to get their neighbors out of trouble.

Basically, he would ask questions that were supposed to prove his point, and they would answer truthfully, using the lies that the Dursleys told the neighborhood. Problem was, what she was saying, and what the Jury was seeing as they watched Vernon Dursley glare at and whisper death threats to his nephew wasn't matching up.

None of the witnesses brought up by Simmons helped his case at all, if anything, they all harmed him. Ted Tonks was merciless in his cross-examination, he tore them apart... one of the inhabitants of Little Whinging almost burst into tears during his questioning when she was almost accused of aiding and abetting. Finally, Simmons was done for now, and it was Ted's turn.

"I would like to call Mrs. Arabella Figg to come up." He said simply. They all watched as the old lady walked in, and Harry, who had long since calmed down enough to pay attention, was relieved to find she was dressed nice, and not wearing her fuzzy carpet slippers. Once Mrs. Figg was seated and had taken her Oaths (wizarding oaths, of course, she had enough magic for that), he spoke again. "Mrs. Figg, you've looked after the boy when the Dursleys went somewhere. You've lived on that street since not long after Mr. Potter was left there. What would you say, from your perspective, was an average day at the Dursley household. Based on the condition you saw Mr. Potter in, what you saw of the family when they were outside, from your perspective."

"From the outside, the Dursley's looked like any other family. Loving, caring, except for Harry. I'd go past the house, and Harry would be outside, doing all the gardening. I've watched him, he'd come outside early in the morning, starting when he was about four years old. He'd water the garden, trim the bushes, mow the lawn, weed, I saw him take a drink out of the hose one time. His aunt came outside, grabbed him by arm, and marched him back into the house, saying something about stealing water from them." She added quickly. "He'd do all these outside chores, and he'd have them all done by six o'clock in the morning. School started at eight. Come home from school, and he'd paint the fence, or the garage door, or the shudders, whichever his uncle felt like that day.

Most fences, garages, or shudders would only get a new coat of paint maybe once a year or so, but Harry was out there repainting them every week, no matter the weather. I've seen him trying to paint the garage door when it was storming once. When he wasn't outside, I could hear a vacuum inside, whenever I glanced in the windows, I'd see Harry sweeping the floors while his aunt sat on the couch, sipping a brandy or something, watching television. It's been like this since he was four, the outside chores at any rate. I don't know when he started the inside chores."

"How did Mr. Potter look? He was doing all these chores, surely that would have warranted good meals? A strong, healthy body."

"He was rail thin. Looked unhealthy, I had to pick him up one time to save him from a fall down the stairs, I could feel his ribs." Mrs. Figg answered.

"Have you ever witnessed them strike Mr. Potter?" He asked next after a moment.

"I never witnessed the adult Dursleys personally strike Harry, however. I have watched that awful son of there's leading some of the other neighborhood children in a game called 'Harry hunting'."

Tonks interrupted her here. "Harry Hunting? What is that?" He asked, he had an idea, but he wanted her to be more clear. Honestly, the thought that the rest of the children in the neighborhood joined in and NONE of the adults found anything wrong with this...

"Oh, Dudley Dursley started it. He and his friends from the around town will start to chase Harry. If he hides, then they start to 'hunt' him, as if he were an animal. If they catch him, they beat him up. They'll do this at all hours, sometimes they'll interrupt him when he's trying to do his chores, he never gets them done before his uncle comes home when that happens." She explained quickly before continuing."However, I have heard Mr. Dursley encourage these... hunts- and congratulate his son whenever they caught Harry. I have seen them break his arm before, and the next time I saw him, he was out doing his chores, with a broken arm that was clearly never seen by a medical professional. There have been a few times when I saw a bruise here and there that didn't match what I saw those boys do during a Hunt."

Ted pursed his lips for a moment. "How would you describe the way they treated him? Based off of past human history." He said slowly, carefully. He had to word it so Simmons didn't try and protest that he was coaching her on what to say. He knew the judges would allow it, but he just didn't want to deal with the interruption. Thankfully, he stayed silent.

She thought for a moment, before she answered confidently. "I would say they treated him like a Master would his slave."

Murmuring broke out among the Jury, but one look from Thomas quickly silenced them. Ted looked at her for a moment, before glancing at Harry, who was sitting up a little now, but was still clinging to his owl and guardian, and said he didn't have any more questions for her. Simmons got up, and he knew that this would not be easy. But, he knew that he could get her testimony thrown out, after all, she'd seen all this and did nothing, making her an accomplice.

"Mrs. Figg. You said you watched all these alleged events happening, you've even taken a peek inside the house on occasion to see what was happening behind closed doors. And yet, you never called the police? Never called Child Welfare?" He asked. He saw out of the corner of his eye the judge frown, but knew that unless Ted Tonks said something, she would allow it.

"Objection," Ted said before she could speak, standing up and nearly causing Simmons to groan out loud. But Ted Tonks would not allow his witness to be thrown under the bus, especially when she did nothing wrong. "Inside the files in front of the Jury are copies of phone records of calls made to the police and Child Welfare, as well as copies of the letters she wrote and sent to the proper Wizarding and Muggle authorities as well as the wizard who placed her there in the first place. The reasons why there was never any action is being investigated, although we suspect wizard intervention." Sadly, he couldn't just outright tell them it was Dumbledore, this wasn't Dumbledore's trial. That, and that was an ongoing investigation that was actually a separate matter from why they were here.

"Noted, move on, Mr. Simmons." Johnson ordered while some of the Jury picked up the folders curiously and quickly glanced through them.

By this point, Simmons had to force himself to calm down. That had been his best shot, and now he had basically nothing. It didn't help that Dursley had finally shifted his glare from his nephew's direction, to him. "Many children have proven to be highly finicky eaters, and even more are naturally clumsy as they grow into their bodies. Could the injuries and overall unhealthy state of Mr. Potter's body not have been from that? You have said that all you witnessed was him doing a lot of chores, you never saw them strike the boy, so how do you know that he did not fall down the stairs as the Dursley's have said for years?"

Mrs. Figg stared at him for a moment, blinking. "I watched the neighborhood children chasing and beating him, lead by Dudley Dursley with Vernon Dursley clearly supporting those actions. And, before you ask, I broke up the children's 'game' many times. I did not just stand by and watch." She added before he could try and accuse her of that, too. "As for being a finicky eater and clumsy... whenever I had him, I made sure to feed him. He was no finicky eater, he ate anything and everything I put in front of him. Sometimes he would be so hungry that he would try to eat himself sick before I taught him not to do that. And he wasn't clumsy, either. I knew him before he went to the Dursley's, I babysat every once in a while for his parents. He was already walking by the ninth month, when most are just starting to figure out how to stand. He was more coordinated when he was a year and a half than some five year olds."

Harry perked up a little bit, that was news to him. Why didn't she ever say anything? Did Dumbledore ask her to keep quiet or something? Or did she fear the Dursley's wouldn't let him come over anymore if they found out?

Simmons was quiet. "No more questions." He finally said. This was not going as well as he hoped it would. It was clear at this point that he was not going to get the Dursley's off. He glanced at Harry Potter, he hadn't spoken up yet, despite Dumbledore assuring him that the boy would drop the charges, the loyalty potions and charms would ensure it. So... when would the boy speak up already?

Ted got up again, and this time he called Mr. Prewett, followed by the goblin Healer, and finally Augusta Longbottom. Each and every one of them supported Mrs. Figg's position of neglect and near slavery-like conditions that Harry grew up in. Granted, none of them were there and saw anything, but they did have eyes and ears. They had each observed Harry, either during his time under their professional care, or when he was staying in the Longbottom's manor. Ted once again reminded everyone that the medical reports were in their folders. Simmons didn't even bother getting up this time, his mind was drawing a blank. The only thing he could think of would be if he got the boy up on the stand and got the boy to recant the charges.

Finally, Ted was done, and judges called Vernon Dursley up to be questioned on his side of the story. Naturally, Ted asked the first questions. And, naturally, Vernon was given a Muggle-safe dose of Veritaserum just to be sure. Just like everyone else that went on the witness stand that didn't have magic to swear a wizards oath with.

"Mr. Dursley, when you saw Harry on that doorstep that morning, what was your first thought when your wife told you who it was?" He asked.

"That the Freak needed to be drowned, that way there would be one less Freak in the world." He practically snarled. A few on the Jury gasped, shocked, and they whispered among themselves for a moment before they caught sight of Thomas's glare and settled down, although they were still visibly shocked. Sirius could be heard growling as he held his pup.

"If you didn't want Harry, then why keep him? Why not send him to an orphanage?" Ted asked, he chose to not ask the man why he didn't just kill Harry and be done with it. Harry himself was in the room after all. He could hear Hedwig making soft noises to attempt to comfort her wizard.

"The letter that came with the little freak said we would be well paid for him to stay there, it also said something about protections for our family. It said something about the followers of that weirdo that killed Petunia's freak sister were still out there, and they might come after us because of the blood connection." The wizards in the room visibly paled at hearing this Muggle casually referring to the Dark Lord Voldemort as 'that weirdo'.

"So... you kept him for the money." Ted asked, to clarify.

"I wouldn't have kept him around even if we were offered the Monarchy. Petunia insisted. She said we could use the protection. I was all for drowning the little Freak."

Ted decided to move on when he heard Sirius' growling get louder. "You said you were being paid a good amount. How much of that, did you actually spend on Harry? After all, that money was supposed to help you, and go towards his care."

Vernon barked out a laugh, "Why would I spend money on that freak? He should be grateful, we provided shelter, food, and clothes at all. He should be grateful we kept him at all!" He spat. The Veritaserum was making him speak the truth, despite the fact that he knew the truth was not what he needed to be speaking right now.

"How much was he fed, on a daily basis." Ted asked, pouncing on that opening.

"The freak got enough to survive. A piece of cheese here, some bread there, some water here and there. The occasional orange during the winter. If you really want to know his eating habits, I suggest you ask the kitchen workers at the primary school we sent the brat to. They're the ones who fed him." Vernon said dismissively.

Ted watched him for a moment, he honestly could not understand it. How on earth could such a loving father, treat another child this way? "It was mentioned earlier that Harry was doing an alarming number of 'chores' for his age. What was the average chore list, and when did he start them?"

"Once Petunia noticed that the brat could already walk, she started showing him how to clean. Once he could do it on his own, she just left him to it. When he was three, she deemed him old enough to cook without burning the house down, although the brat couldn't even do that right for a couple more years yet. When he was four, we sent him outside to take care of the yard. He gets up at four, does the yard-work; mowing, trimming, weeding, watering. About six, he comes inside to start breakfast. If breakfast isn't on the table by the time we wake up, then he doesn't get his piece of bread for the day, after breakfast is made, he has to sweep the house before going to school at quarter to eight.

We wouldn't even send him to school if it weren't required by law, and if it didn't mean getting our government support check cut." Harry stiffened, on top of getting paid out of his vaults, they were also getting government support?! What, how? Surely they made too much money, between Vernon's job and his stipend from the Potter vaults, that they shouldn't qualify? Thomas interrupted here.

"I'm sorry, did you just say you've also been receiving government support checks?" She asked, shocked. "On top of the stipend from the Potter family vaults?" That shouldn't be possible. While she asked this, she was going through the folder in front of her, provided by the lead inspector for this case. There was nothing in the Dursley's financial records about a government support check. Add to the fact that Harry was the missing Potter heir. If the Dursley's were really getting support checks, then the government would have known years ago where he was, and that he wasn't supposed to be there.

"Yes, every month we get a check from the government, from the Child Welfare department." Vernon said.

Both judges looked at the Child Welfare representative, but she just shook her head in bewilderment after frantically going through her own files and finding nothing. They looked at each other, and Thomas finally said, "This matter will have to be investigated further. Please, continue."

Ted asked the question again, so that he would continue where he left off. "After he gets home from school, he cleans the upstairs, then goes outside and repaints whatever I tell him to paint, and finishes the rest of the yard-work from that morning. Then, he comes in, cooks dinner, and goes back to his cupboard for the rest of the night. If I'm feeling generous, I might give him some cheese for dinner." Vernon finishes.

Ted was silent. "What did you do, if Harry didn't finish his chores on time?"

"He'd get a good smack upside the head, that's what. Then he'll be sent to his cupboard until I feel like letting him out again."

"And how long does that usually take?" Ted asked.

"A week, if I'm in a good mood." Vernon made a face of disgust. "I have to let him out for school though, blasted nosy teachers think he needs to be there every day."

"Beyond the times you smacked, were there any other times you raised a hand to Harry? For any reason, either with your hand or some other object." Ted asked, trying to contain his anger by this point. None of this was anything new to him, he found most of this out during his investigation, but still.

Vernon made a face. "I slapped him around a few times and took a belt to the whelp a couple more, but it was too much work to bother. Besides, why would I want to be touching that filth more than I had to? It was bad enough I had to go scrub my hands off good every time I did have to touch him, I don't want his freakishness to contaminate me! I left the physical punishments to my Dudley, it was a good learning experience for him, although I had him wash off thoroughly afterward as well. It was good for teaching him how to put others in their places." A hint of pride entered his voice when he spoke of his son.

A few of the jury looked horrified that he was proud of his son for being a bully, that he taught his son that it was ok to beat people up whenever he felt like. A few heard muttering that the only place Dudley Dursley belonged if he didn't learn different would be a juvenile detention facility.

Vernon suddenly snarled, "I should have beat him, though. I should have gone ahead and just beaten the freakishness out of him!" He yelled. Harry squeaked, and tried to hide, but Sirius held him in place, whispering assurances in his ear, despite the fact that the calming draughts and the boy in his arms were the only reason he himself wasn't going up there to tear the fat Muggle apart with his bare hands. It was a pity he was banned from any and all magic usage for the day, and that he was still so exhausted from the day before.

Ted stared at him for a moment, then turned around. "No further questions, your honor." He said. He raised a (only slightly) mocking eyebrow at Simmons, silently asking if he really wanted to try and get Vernon out of that hole. The fact that Vernon was dosed with Veritaserum was just beautiful, he couldn't lie, no matter what. Simmons looked down at the table for a moment before he shook his head, no, he didn't have questions.

The judges looked satisfied, then dismissed themselves and the Jury to go and discuss. The charges about resisting arrest were a separate matter, and he had already had a hearing about that matter. While they did that, the Aurors led everyone in the room to a side-room where they had lunch set up. Harry was shocked to find that he was very hungry, and tired. The stress from the day in general was already starting to wear on him.

He didn't know why he was acting like a scared little kid right now, he was used to Vernon, and didn't normally cower like this. Yes, he was scared of his uncle, but he'd never showed it like this before. He hadn't reacted like this when he went back to Privet Drive for the summer after a year at Hogwarts. But… he had now experienced what true family could be. Sirius, right now, was showing a care that Vernon never had. Even just the few weeks he'd been with Severus and Augusta Longbottom, seemed to have broken down most of the defenses he'd built up over the years. Added to the fact that he had thought he would never have to see them again, and now here he was.

He wasn't sure yet how he felt about that. For now, though, he tried not to notice the looks he was getting from some of the other Privet Drive residents, and just focus his attention on what Sirius and Augusta were talking about, along with Sharpaxe and Barchoke. He fell asleep about halfway through his meal.

When Harry fell asleep against him, Sirius looked down and snorted before moving the boy into something of a more comfortable position, while Augusta moved his plate. "He hasn't drank his potion yet." She noticed, picking up the full vial.

"Here, I'll make sure he takes it before we get called back in." Sirius said quietly. Then they went back to their conversation like nothing ever happened, except for Sirius combing his fingers through his pups thick rats-nest hair. He shook his head. "They didn't even ask him to come up, what was the point of him being here?" He asked Ted.

Ted shook his head, "Simmons was going to call him up, but I guess he decided not to at the last minute. He must have figured that it would only make things worse."

"Can Harry go back to the school for his aunt's trial, then? Or does he have to sit through that, too?" Augusta asked bitterly.

Ted shook his head and sighed. "I can ask. I hope they do let him go back to school." With that, he left to go find the judges and Simmons, to see if he could get Harry out of here, he shouldn't have even been here in the first place. When he came back, he shook his head, Harry would have to stay.

It was another two hours before they were all called in, and by that time, Sirius had to rouse Harry out of a nightmare twice, each time he tried to stay awake afterward, but he was exhausted. The first time, he did manage to down his potion before going back to sleep, so that was good. The only good thing about the wait, was that it was a sign that the Jury couldn't decide on a punishment. According to Ted, anyway. He said that sometimes it was because they couldn't decide on a guilty verdict, but in this case... he was pretty sure they were deciding the punishment.

When they went in, the Jury, judges, and Vernon were already there.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" Johnson asked.

One of the jurors stood, holding a piece of paper. "We have, your honor."

"What say you?"

"On the charges of Child abuse, we find the defendant, Vernon Dursley, to be guilty. On the charges of child neglect, we find him guilty. On both charges, we the jury, recommend the maximum sentence by law." The spokesperson said before sitting down.

"Very well." Thomas said with a nod. Her and Johnson conferred quietly for a moment, before turning to the rest of the room.

"Because of the claim on his life by the Goblin nation, we cannot charge to the full extent of Muggle Law, however. We sentence you to ten years prison for Child Abuse and Child Neglect."

* * *

Thank you to **girlinpink44** for your help with this chapter!


	25. Chapter 25

**_Gobbledygook_**

 _"On the charges of Child abuse, we find the defendant, Vernon Dursley, to be guilty. On the charges of child neglect, we find him guilty. On both charges, we the jury, recommend the maximum sentence by law." The spokesperson said before sitting down._

 _"Very well." Thomas said with a nod. Her and Johnson conferred quietly for a moment, before turning to the rest of the room._

 _"Because of the claim on his life by the Goblin nation, we cannot charge to the full extent of Muggle Law, however. We sentence you to ten years prison for Child Abuse and Child Neglect."_

* * *

After Vernon was led out, yelling his head off under the silencing charm they had to put him under when he started yelling death threats to his nephew, they switched out the Jury. Tonks said something to Harry about the two cases being too similar, since it was a husband and wife being charged with the same crimes and all. He said something about Vernon's Jury already being 'prejudiced' against her, so... in an effort to make it fair, they brought in an entirely new Jury. Well, the Muggles, anyway. The wizards on the Jury had sworn oaths to stay objective.

Then they brought out Petunia Dursley.

It was clear that her brief time in jail awaiting trial had not been kind to her. She was missing her make-up, and she had a clear bruise on her cheek, probably from another inmate when she showed her usual superior attitude. The only reason Vernon hadn't shown the same bruising, was because he'd been in solitary, the guards were afraid that he would be killed before they even got to the trial.

When Petunia saw Harry, Simmons breathed a sigh of relief when all she did was sneer at him, and then chose to ignore his existence, rather than the act her husband pulled. He just might be able to get somewhere with this one... hopefully.

"Petunia Dursley versus Harry Potter and the people of Great Britain." Was announced. "The Honorable Judge Marie Thomas from the city of London and Arbiter Robert Johnson of the Ministry of Magic preside. Opening statements will be first provided by the barrister of the defendant, Nathan Simmons, followed by the plaintiff's representative, Theodore Tonks."

"Mr. Simmons, go ahead." Thomas said, biting back a sigh. They had decided that they just weren't going to deal with Simmons attitude and just leave him to her.

"Thank you, your Honor." He was sweating. New Jury or not, he knew he wouldn't be able to make the same kind of opening argument as he did last time. Especially since last time it didn't even begin to work. It fell apart as soon as Vernon walked into the room and spotted his nephew. "Petunia Dursley is a loving mother, a loving wife, a pillar of the community." He couldn't change his script too much. He wasn't prepared. "When she opened the door to find her nephew on the doorstep, she was shocked, and afraid." He'd continue playing off the fear card... maybe that would get him somewhere...

Harry tuned out the rest of the trial when it became clear that this one would continue the same way as Vernon's did. With this Simmons guy trying to make all kinds of lame excuses for why the Dursleys behaved as they did, while Ted tore Simmons and his feeble arguments to shreds.

He only tuned back in when he heard his name called. Looking up, he saw everyone looking at him expectantly, while the witness stand was empty. He looked at Sirius, who was worried and trying to hide it, and got an encouraging grimace. Well, he was trying (Sirius was pretty sure the Calming Draughts were starting to wear off, but he was also pretty sure that he wasn't supposed to get another one today, the whole, trying to teach him how to deal with his emotions on his own, thing). He swallowed, but slowly moved to the chair he was being pointed to.

Hedwig joined him a moment later, sending waves of calm and comfort through the link. Simmons looked like he wanted to say something about her being there, but decided not to after glancing at Johnson for a moment. There was only so much the Arbiter would allow him to get away with, and dismissing a Familiar when her wizard was in distress, was not part of it.

The questions started after Harry gave his oath, magical of course, to be truthful. It started off small, asking how his summer was when he got home from Hogwarts.

"Mr. Simmons, I've never gone home from Hogwarts." Harry said, confused.

"Yes, you have. When you got off the Express, you went home to the Dursleys." Simmons said.

Harry tilted his head (all the women had to resist from cooing because it was adorable), "The Dursleys aren't home. That house has never been my home." He said, he was honestly confused. What was with adults and trying to insist that Privet Drive was his home? Just because he had the misfortune of living there for ten, eleven years, did not make it his home.

Unknown to him, that statement caused what little of the protective wards that existed around Number Four Privet Drive to collapse.

* * *

Albus stared in horror at the remains of what used to a spinning, and steaming sensor. The very same sensor that he used to monitor the wards around Privet Drive.

They were gone. This wasn't good.

* * *

Simmons blinked, opened his mouth, closed it, blinked again. Then, he decided to just rephrase the question. "Alright, then. How was your summer when you got back to the Dursleys house from Hogwarts." Inwardly, he was sweating... again. That hurt part of his argument. Again.

"It was the same as any other day with the Dursley's. Chores, chores, and more chores. Escaping from Dudley's gang whenever they tried to start another round of Harry Hunting, ducking the frying pan coming for my head whenever Aunt Petunia thought I said something magical or made a wizarding reference. You know, normal, everyday stuff. Although, I suppose the chore load was lighter than normal because I, er, _forgot_ to mention that underage wizards aren't supposed to do magic at home." Sirius snorted, then coughed to try and cover it up. A few of the other wizards in the room smirked, too. Normally, they would disapprove, but in this case...

Harry was trying to sound as nonchalant and defiant as he normally was when one of the teachers caught him off guard with something. He hadn't meant to say anything about the frying pans, though. But, as soon as the thought of them popped into his head, the Oath ripped it out of his mouth. He decided that he really didn't like Oaths of Truth.

Simmons paused for a moment again and just watched him for a moment before clearing his throat to continue. Before he did, though, Harry noticed Petunia glaring at him again. He immediately paled a little and refused to say anything when the next question was asked, watching his aunt and shrinking back a little in his chair. Johnson luckily noticed the problem, "Can one of the Aurors obscure the view between them?" He asked, gesturing. Moody stepped forward and did, making Harry relax almost immediately, his hands going to Hedwig's feathery back almost without his notice.

"Should have done that earlier." Thomas muttered to him, and he nodded in agreement.

Simmons waited a moment before asking his question again. "What's your earliest memory at the Dursley's." Because, really, maybe the neglect and borderline abuse didn't start until he started showing signs of magic. If he could swing this as them simply being afraid of magic and not knowing how to deal with a young wizarding child...

"Learning how to cook and clean, before being thrown back in my cupboard because I didn't learn it fast enough." Harry said after a moment of thought.

"Not a burst of violent accidental magic?" Simmons asked, almost desperately. "Something that would have frightened them, perhaps?" Ted started to stand up and object, but Harry was talking before he could.

"I've never really had much of a problem accidental magic, the only times my magic really acted up was during or after a run of Harry Hunting, or after Aunt Petunia chopped all my hair off and it grew back." Harry said with a small shrug. Now that he couldn't see his Aunt, he was finding it much easier to try and be nonchalant. Ted slowly sank back down into his seat, but stayed on the edge just in case. Simmons was trying to herd Harry into a corner to just go with it, but, and this was probably also because of the Oath of Truth, it wasn't going to work.

But... the Oath wasn't supposed to be _making_ him answer.

Sharpaxe and Barchoke looked surprised and worried about something, when Sharpaxe passively scanned Harry's magic, sucked in a surprised breath. " ** _It's because of how powerful he is. The Oath is reacting to anything he's asked and forcing the answers out like Veritaserum would."_**

 ** _"His magic is more potent than the average wizards."_** Barchoke said in agreement. Before anything could happen, Sharpaxe got Ted's attention and quickly explained what they'd realized.

Ted looked at them sharply and asked if he Simmons could approach real quick to speak with Johnson and Thomas. Quickly, he explained. If the Oath was acting like Veritaserum for Harry, then the whole tone of this part of the trial was changed. Especially since Harry was a Heir to several pureblood families, no matter how short a time he'd known about it, he'd still had access to Family secrets. Not to mention, that the Oath didn't take away their decision of whether or not to answer, it merely ensured that whatever they said was the truth. Plus, there were the laws regarding the use of Veritaserum on minors.

Thomas sat back and looked to Johnson for his decision, since she was a Muggle, and this was her first Mixed-Court case. "Tonks, did you want to ask him anything?" He asked first, he saw the Goblins get parchment out and have a quill ready. Ted shook his head. He didn't want Harry to be here in the first place, why would he prolong the boys time on the stand any longer than needed? "Simmons?" Simmons scowled, but shook his head.

He couldn't ask the questions he wanted to anymore, couldn't twist the questions to back the boy into answering how he wanted him to while still telling the truth. Any further questions asked to the boy would be asked by the Arbiter, off a list of written questions.

"Good." He motioned for them to go back and dismissed Harry from the platform formally, making sure to word it in a way that the Oath would be fulfilled.

Sirius leaned over to the Goblins while Harry made his way back towards him. "I didn't know the Oath could do that." He whispered.

"It is rare, but it has happened before. Always in exceptionally powerful wizards or witches. Some people's magic is more potent than others, and when making Oaths or Vows on their magic... they are bound even more tightly to their word than other people, their magic binds them even more tightly. Takes what they said all the more literally in some cases." Sirius raised an eyebrow. And promptly made a mental note to make sure Harry was an expert in all things relating to Magical Oaths and Vows before his third year hit, he didn't want Harry to accidentally make one through careless wording on somebody else's part.

That would be bad.

For now, though, the trial continued with Harry zoning out again. And then, it was Petunia's turn to defend herself.

"Mrs. Dursley, earlier it was mentioned that Harry was periodically dodging frying pans to the head. Can you explain that?" Ted said.

She sniffed imperiously, "Why should I dirty my hands with his filthy freakishness? The frying pan will cause more damage and the heat from the stove will cleanse it after touching him." Several people were disturbed. She hit with the frying pan _because_ it will cause more damage on top of keeping her own hands metaphorically clean? That was just a little messed up, she was talking as if he had some contagious disease. Those who had children going to Hogwarts, suddenly wanted nothing more than to hold their children and assure them, again, that they loved them and having magic did nothing to change that.

"So, what does Harry do, to warrant a frying pan to his head?" Ted asked bitingly, although this was more out of personal curiosity than anything else.

"He's there. Him and his freakishness. That freakishness will be beaten out of him!" She proclaimed proudly. "We will manage it, it will be proof that it can be managed, they can be returned to normal society!" She said this while looking at the Muggles in the courtroom, as if to reassure them that their children's magic could indeed be gotten rid of, and their children would return to how they once were. As if their children having such a gift was something to be ashamed of. All the parents of Muggleborns just looked at her in horror.

Several of the magicals in the room looked at each other, they were wondering if they shouldn't revisit that program that Tom Riddle tried to put into place regarding Muggleborns safety in their homes. Surely Petunia Dursley wasn't the only Muggle in contact with magic that felt this way.

Ted took one look at those parents and decided that nothing more needed to be said.

Nathan Simmons took one look at the parents on the Jury and realized what he should have weeks ago. There was no winning this case. This case was lost before it even began.

* * *

"Well, I don't know about you, but I am going home to my children." Marie Thomas said when she and Robert Johnson left the courtroom, after they got the right information filed with the officer in charge of the Dursleys. "My youngest daughter has shown signs that she might have magic, and I don't want to leave my husband alone to deal with it on his own... I hadn't met him yet when Dean was that age." And hadn't that been a nightmare and a half, being a single mother and trying to juggle finishing her schooling and the odd events surrounding her son, trying to keep them hidden so the other children's parents (and potential babysitters) didn't abandon them.

He snorted. "I wish you luck, if you need help, let me know. I have to head back to the Ministry and file some paperwork relating to this case. Luckily, I can avoid our idiot of a Minister and his nose since this whole case was under such tight privacy protocol."

"Why do you need to file paperwork, then?"

"Because the Ministry is stupid." He grumbled. "I also need to speak with Madam Bones about Rita Skeeter, since it was our trial she tried to crash... but no, most of the paperwork will be filed with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Since the goblins are involved, and all that."

She made a face. "I hate that name. It makes them sound like a bunch of wild animals that need to be controlled, and not the intelligent race that they are." She said in disgust.

He barked a laugh. "That it does, that it does. You can blame some pureblood fanatic in the last several centuries for that one... well, I'm off. Enjoy the rest of your day. And remember," He called when she was almost out the door, "let me know if you want help!" She smiled at him over her shoulder and waved before the door shut. He sighed and picked up his files before heading to the buildings main office where the only Floo was located so he could get it taken care of and go home to his own family. If he moved fast enough, he should be able to avoid the Minister and not have to explain, for the hundredth time, that he could not give any details about the case.

He paused for a moment, and decided he would ask about Dean's biological father later, or just convince her to go in for an inheritance test. The daughter would most certainly be classified as Muggleborn, but for two half-siblings to both be magical, either one of the fathers was a squib, or the mother was. Magic wasn't _that_ precise for making true Muggleborns.

* * *

Rita Skeeter was frantically trying to think of a way out of this. They knew she was an unregistered animagus now, that was automatic Azkaban time! She knew that they didn't have anything else on her, but that didn't matter. This was already serious enough.

There was nothing wrong with printing information in the paper, the people deserved to know what their government was hiding from them! That, and, it got her a pretty nice raise whenever she printed hot stories like that, whether all of it was the truth or not.

No, she would get out of this somehow, she had always been good at twisting words... she could talk herself out of this. The _Prophet's_ lawyer would come and get her out of this. She was their best writer, nobodies stories sold as well as hers did.

* * *

The Weasley's, Hermione, and Neville were all sitting in an empty classroom. They had originally come in here to do their homework away from the chaos that was the Gryffindor House, somewhere they could be alone and not have to deal with everyone else's questions about where Harry was today and if his relatives were really on trial for child abuse.

Honestly, where on earth had they heard that?

When they asked, they were told by those that had parents in the Wizengamot that said parents had mentioned it off-handedly after the last Wizengamot session. And then Dean had come up to them as they were leaving and whispered that his mother was the Muggle judge for the trial, but he hadn't said anything to anybody else. Not even Seamus. They had tried to run damage control, but it had just become too much, so they retreated to get some homework done. They would ask Harry what he wanted to do about the Hogwarts rumor-mill when he got back from the trial.

Unfortunately, Percy was the only one of them able to somewhat focus on his homework.

The Twins were in the corner, planning a prank in between talking to Neville about some plant or other that they would need for a potion they were experimenting with (apparently Neville was actually quite knowledgeable about Potions, or at least the plant-based ingredients). Ginny was writing in a little black diary that nobody could remember her having before, but the Weasley boys all assumed that their parents got her before school, sort of like he got Sapphire for Ron literally an hour before leaving to catch the train. And Ron and Hermione were talking about something that really made no sense at all to anyone except them and Harry. Something about flying keys and puzzles involving potions?

In between talking to the Twins about a plant, Neville was tending to a small plant that he took everywhere with him in a modified trunk. Harry had given him both the plant and the trunk as a late birthday present when he found out that his birthday was only a day before Harry's own. The trunk, was something of Harry's own design. Apparently, nobody else had ever thought of it before, which Harry just found to be stupid, after all, how on earth could they think of having a greenhouse area in a storage area within a trunk potions lab, but not think of making a portable greenhouse itself within a trunk? (Harry thought wizards were insane for being able to do amazing things, but not thinking of something that one would think to be such a simple concept.)

Finally, Hermione sighed and asked, "When do you guys think Harry's coming back? And how much time alone do you think he'll need?"

"Who knows, with Harry," Ron said. "He can be quite unpredictable when it comes to his relatives." Mipsy suddenly popped in with a look alike of Vernon Dursley, one that happened to have a target painted on it. Everyone was surprised, but got over it quick enough to shoot some spells at it. Although, in the end it was mostly prank spells. Neville looked at the end product and decided to take it up to their dorm, either Harry could squirrel it away in his trunks training room, or all five occupants of their room could enjoy its use. Dean and Seamus didn't have to know who the likeness was of, after all.

Ron grinned when he claimed it for them.

Hermione just shook her head. "Anyway, I think we should start making life difficult for Professor Dumbledore. Nothing big, of course, just..." She trailed off, looking at the twins, who were staring at her like she'd grown multiple heads and started singing Draco Malfoy's praises. Percy grinned, too. It was a look the Weasley's hadn't really seen in years, and enjoyed seeing on their brothers face again.

"Alright, what do you have in mind?" He asked, shocking her for a few moments before she regained her senses and shrugged sheepishly.

"I figured I'd let you guys handle that part." She gestured towards Ron and the Twins. She knew that Ron had a brain for strategy and the Twins... well- enough said.

The Weasley's exchanged evil grins, and instantly got to work. Ginny even put her diary down to help with the plans. After telling Tom what they were doing and getting his (rather enthusiastic) opinion, of course.

* * *

Tom Riddle, aged 16, sat in his mindscape within the diary and laughed at what that girl Ginny had just got done telling him. As far as he was concerned, these plans of theirs to prank the Headmaster would serve two purposes.

One, get her mind off that brat Harry Potter. Honestly, he may have been eager to hear about the Brat-Who-Lived in the beginning (because, hello, the boy was supposed to have defeated _himself!)_ but now it was beginning to get annoying. Already. And lately, more than a little creepy. Maybe the first thing he should do when he finally gained enough strength to possess the girl, instead of going straight to the Chamber, would be to make sure Potters things were properly warded.

Because, it didn't matter how much he hated the brat for somehow defeating him. Nobody should suffer through that. And, yes, he was speaking from personal experience, once the girls got over his Muggleborn status, anyway. It only got worse when he made the stupid mistake of revealing his Slytherin heritage. He should have waited on that one until long after he graduated.

Hmmm... he wondered if his other self ever got around to filing those restraining orders or not...

 _Tom Riddle- three days after graduation from Hogwarts 1945_

 _"Are you sure, sir?" The DMLE official asked, eyeing the long parchment in shock._

 _"Yes, I'm sure." Tom said, trying very hard not to hex the man for even questioning that this was happening._

 _"But, sir... this is- a lot of girls." He tried to press again._

 _Tom raised an eyebrow. "Yes, that is three-quarters of the female population, plus several males, that I've been in contact with at Hogwarts in the past seven years. I don't want any of them coming within three miles of me, ever again. I would make the distance further, but... I want to actually be able to stay in the United Kingdom." Tom said._

 _"Alright, but... sir, you realize that this severely limits the chances of you ever finding a wife. Not to mention, this is a lot of girls. There is every chance that some of these will be in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade at the same time as you, and the Alley isn't exactly three miles long."_

 _Tom stared at him for a moment. Then he leaned over the desk, putting on his best, 'you're being an idiot right now and I want to strangle you, but I'll be polite anyway' smile. "Sir, if I was in any way interested in any of these girls in a romantic sense, then I would not be getting restraining orders placed on them. Instead, I would be approaching the Heads of their Families, for a possible marriage contract."_

 _The official tried again after skimming through the 300 name long list. "Sir, you realize that many of these names are Old Names. You have the Black family, the Smith's, Nott's, any one of these Families could completely destroy your life over this. Not to mention, didn't Walburga Black just start at Hogwarts this past year? I remember over-hearing Lord Black talking about it. She's twelve!"_

 _"Twelve, and already a completely crazy stalker." Tom hissed, losing his calm for a moment. He took a moment to collect himself, then continued more calmly. "Sir, I myself also have friends among Old Families, I will be fine. Now, if you will please, just file the restraining order. Let me deal with any potential fall-out."_

 _Two hours later, a pleased Tom Riddle walked out of the Ministry building with a thick folder in hand, filled with the parchment work pertaining to over 300 different restraining orders, and the Ministry owls spent the next week sending out the official notices to the girls (and about ten guys) involved._

 _A week after that, Tom Riddle was called in front of the Wizengamot by the angry Lords whose daughters now had restraining orders against them (they couldn't pursue a contract with him if he had restraining orders against their daughters, after all). He walked out smirking, and the daughters, instead of being reassured it was going to be alright when their fathers came home, all instead ended up being contracted out within the next several weeks or put under Magical Oaths so that they wouldn't be tempted to pursue one Tom Riddle anymore. For those who were already contracted, the clauses in their contracts were looked over again for loop-holes and tightened up._

Oh, he was sure it happened, he wouldn't have forgotten such a crucial detail to his survival after all.

Hmm... maybe he should also leave a note on Potter's bed that that was an option. After, of course, making sure he had wards to keep the crazies out.

Two, who didn't love the chance to make Albus too-many-names Dumbledore just a little miserable? The number of 'harmless' pranks he himself pulled on the Headmaster and didn't get caught? He usually managed to pin it on one of his precious Gryffindors, which of course didn't even begin to go punished. Honestly, why didn't the man just get rid of the House system and declare everybody to be Gryffindor's, and be done with it? His favoritism was ridiculous.

For once, he couldn't wait until Ginny wrote back. Because, next time, it would be about something actually important that had nothing to do with being a creepy stalker fangirl.

* * *

"Well, pup. That's finally over. You did a good job in there. Vernon is going away for ten years before spending the rest of his life in the Mines, and Petunia is going away for eight before the goblins get ahold of her. " Sirius said as he led Harry out of the courthouse, the goblins trailing behind them discussing whatever it was that the two account managers wanted to discuss, and Hedwig once again on his shoulder, and under Muggle repellent charms so she wouldn't be noticed. Then, Sirius paused for a moment and bit his lip while he tried to decide how to word this. "Pup, there was something I wanted to discuss with you. About your cousin, Dudley."

Harry looked up at him, a clear question in his eyes, as well as some worry.

"You see, I realize that he was awful to you. But, at the same time..." Before he could continue though, Hedwig spotted movement and alerted Harry through their link. When he turned his head to look, he spotted somebody raising a wand. His eyes widened when he realized the raised wand was being pointed right at Sirius, and, just as he saw a flash of light, his mind absently supplied that it was spell-light, he pushed Sirius out of the way. Unfortunately, they were at the top of the stairs, and he pushed both himself and Sirius right over the edge and down them.

Behind them, Sharpaxe and Barchoke saw it happen and sprang into action. While Sharpaxe fought through the crowd and confusion to reach Harry and Sirius, Barchoke went after whoever was trying to kill them. Because they recognized that particular spell, and, while it wasn't the Killing Curse, it wasn't used unless you wanted someone dead. It was also a good spell to use in a Muggle area, since it left off a sound like a gunshot, preserving the Statute of Secrecy.

When Barchoke came back not even a minute later, he was angry. " ** _He got away._ " **He growled, not happy. The crowd had gotten in the way, as soon as the 'gunshot' went off and Harry and Sirius started going down the stairs, everybody had scattered, and had started running around in a panic. Perfect for whoever it was to escape. Sharpaxe growled too, both of them showing their sharp teeth under their glamours.

 ** _"We will find him, he has declared himself an enemy of the Nation."_** He said while checking the two over. He cursed. " ** _They need the hospital."_** He said, worried. He glanced at Hedwig, " ** _She needs a Healer as well."_**

The Aurors finally arrived, they took one look at what was going on, and made a perimeter while the courthouse security started getting people calmed down and out of the way. It was lucky for them that the only security there that day, were magically aware. Which, of course, was done on purpose. Moody clomped his way over.

He took one look, "I'll port-key them to St. Mungo's." He said shortly, and grabbed his Auror badge, which happened to double as an emergency port-key to two places. The hospital, and Auror headquarters. One muttered word, and the three wizards, plus one owl, were gone.

* * *

 **Well, there we go. Got a little bit of diary-Tom in there too. I had fun writing that bit, actually.**

 **And who doesn't love a bit of a cliff-hanger?**


	26. Chapter 26

Honestly, I've had this chapter basically written for a few weeks now while I was stuck on chapter 25. Enjoy!

 _ **Gobbledygook**_

* * *

 _ **"We will find him, he has declared himself an enemy of the Nation."** He said while checking the two over. He cursed. " **They need the hospital."** He said, worried. He glanced at Hedwig, " **She needs a Healer as well."**_

 _The Aurors finally arrived, they took one look at what was going on, and made a perimeter while the courthouse security started getting people calmed down and out of the way. It was lucky for them that the only security there that day, were magically aware. Which, of course, was done on purpose. Moody clomped his way over._

 _He took one look, "I'll portkey them to St. Mungo's." He said shortly, and grabbed his Auror badge, which happened to double as an emergency port-key to two places. The hospital, and Auror headquarters. One muttered word, and the three wizards, plus one owl, were gone._

Albus Dumbledore walked up to the gate, in a pretty good mood. Sure, Sirius Black survived, but he would be out of the picture for a while, and his assassin had yet to be caught, although not for lack of trying on the part of the Goblin nation. When he reached the gate, he pushed his magic into the rune on the side, and waited for one of the prison guards to come let him in. He smirked slightly at the fact that not one person questioned why Gellert Grindlewald was being placed inside his own prison when, by all accounts, the prison's wards were all tied to him.

People were so stupid, they never even thought to question something like that. Purely because _he_ was the one to suggest it.

He loved being in charge.

Of course, the truth of the matter was that the wards were controlled by both Gellert and himself, Albus Dumbledore. But... they didn't need to know that. Although, it was difficult blocking out Gellert's side of the connection to the wards. They had built the prison before the fight with Aberforth, the one where his sister was killed. It was only after that fight that Albus decided that they could go about it a different way, a more subtle way.

He wiped the smirk off his face and replaced it with his usual grandfatherly smile once the door opened. He brandished the papers (forged, of course) allowing him entry and said, "I'm here to see a prisoner."

The guard glared before he snatched them out of his hand to inspect them, leaving Dumbledore to control his impulse to curse this pathetic wizard. He was Albus Dumbledore! Nobody treated him that way! He controlled himself, though. He may have override control of the wards, but he didn't want to risk one of the other guards somehow getting an alert out if he lost it.

Once the guard determined the papers were good (they weren't), Albus was let in, and led to a security point, where he was probed for any artifacts and asked to hand over his wand. Which he did with a silent snarl, he really had to get the Elder Wand back, he had to find out what that idiot Dawlish did with it.

Once the guard was satisfied, he led Albus up a familiar flight of stairs towards what used to be his private study, up until he turned it into Gellert's prison cell. Well, as far as the guards were concerned, they only saw a prison cell, which was what the illusion over the cell doors let them see. In reality, it was still just as comfortable as Albus had made it years ago.

When they got there, both he and Gellert waited until the guard was gone before Albus slammed the privacy wards down around them.

"It's been a while since you've last visited, Albus. Come to gloat again about how your way is working better than mine?" Gellert finally asked tiredly. Comfortable study to live in or not, he was still stuck in this one room for the past few decades, without access to most of his magic, and his side of the connection to the wards blocked. Not to mention, the decades of listening to Albus gloating about how much progress he was making on their plans.

"Well it is." Albus muttered childishly. When all Gellert did was give him a look that said 'get to the point or get out', he shook his head. "I'm here to ask if your finally willing to do things my way."

Gellert snorted. He should have known that was what Albus was here for. That was what the majority of his visits consisted of anymore. They'd long since run out of other things to talk about other than the latest news of the outside world. "Albus, we're both old men. Even if I was, what could possibly be accomplished in the little time we both have left? We have no heirs to continue our work, unless there's something you haven't been telling me." He tried to joke.

"No, no heirs." Albus said, shaking his head. Like he had time for any kind of relationship, like he was even interested at that. "However..." He drew out a small, red stone. "I think we have all the time in the world." He said with a sly grin.

Gellert looked at the Stone for a moment, before he burst out laughing, making a watching Albus genuinely smile for the first time in a long time.

He was finally going to have his best friend back, after all these years of doing it alone.

* * *

Minerva stepped through the Floo into St. Mungoes with a sigh. This hadn't been on her to-do list for today. "I'm here to pick up Mr. Harry Potter, can you tell me where he is?" She asked the witch at the desk. It had been two days after the trial, and St. Mungoes had refused to tell her how her student and his guardian were doing. All they would tell her was that they would live.

She glanced up from her work, saw her old Transfiguration professor, visibly gulped, then explained that she couldn't release that information without parent/guardian permission. Not even to the patients Head of House during the school year. Minerva frowned and was about to explain that she was called to come get her student, when they were interrupted.

"It's alright, Mary. I called her to come get him. Start getting the parchment work to release him while I take her up." Healer Smethwyck said, coming up behind Minerva.

Mary blinked at him, then started to protest. "But sir, hospital policy... she is neither his parent, guardian, nor on his forms!"

Smethwyck sighed, "Mary, his parent/guardian is currently in a room next to Mr. Potter in a coma. During the school year, the Head of House is considered the defacto guardian when the actual one is unavailable. You know this." He said with a frown.

Mary bit her lip, "Yes, sir." She finally muttered, and started organizing the parchmentwork to have ready when Minerva brought her student down to sign him out.

Smethwyck narrowed his eyes at her, then leaned down to hiss in her ear, "I will be down later to remind you on hospital policy regarding giving patient information out to the press as well. If I find out you were promised money to take reporters anywhere near his room..." He trailed off threateningly. "This place better be clear of reporters when we come back with the boy." He finished. Her eyes went wide and she nodded slowly. He backed away and led Minerva off.

While they walked, she asked, "How is he doing?"

Smethwyck glanced at her and sighed. "He's alright now. We had to regrow several of his bones, apply some bruise balm, he might need more applied later, by the way, and he has a mild concussion. So, we had to be careful with the dosage on his potions, because, as you know, not all head injuries react well to potions being used. But he'll be alright. His own magic was already healing much of the damage when we got to him. That's actually why we had to regrow his bones instead of just fixing him... his magic had already healed him, it just skipped the part where the bones needed to be set back into their proper positions. We also had to call in a Healer for his Familiar." He said, holding up his hand wryly.

Minerva blinked when she noticed the evidence of Hedwig's fury riddled all over his hand. For some reason the Healer had yet to fix the damage done. "The bird had a broken wing." He continued. "Of course, that didn't stop her from kicking up quite the fuss when we tried to separate her from her human." He shook his head. He had seen some Familiar's that were protective of their Bonded, but he never seen one quite like the Snowy Owl brought in with Harry Potter. Then again, most of the Familiar's he'd seen over the years weren't Bonded to a twelve year old. Most animals were rather protective over 'their' young, after all.

By now, they had finally reached the lift at the end of the hall. "All right then, we are going to the area of the hospital where we actually have private rooms." He said as he pressed a hidden rune on the door.

"There are private rooms here?" Minerva asked, surprised.

"Hm-hm. Yes, for our high-profile patients. People like Lord Black, Mr. Potter, the occasional prisoner the DMLE brings us that needs to be kept separate from the rest of our patients, Aurors that come in injured... If we need to quarantine somebody, the private rooms all have wards on them just for that... We don't spread around that we have it, because then it wouldn't be nearly as secure. And, like I said, most of the people that use it are our high-profile patients that need the extra security while they're vulnerable." He said absently.

"Oh, of course." Minerva said, understanding the need for silence. She blinked in surprise when the door to the lift opened and the hall was lined with Goblin Warriors, with a couple of Aurors standing around chatting quietly with each other while keeping an eye on the hall, but mostly they were watching the Goblins suspiciously.

Smethwyck noticed her surprise and looked around too. "Yeah, surprised us when they showed up. Personally, I have no problem with it, everyone knows the Potters had a close relationship with the Nation, so, really, it's no surprise they would want to protect the last Potter. But, one of the Medi-witches on this floor kicked up a fuss. Called the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, tried to get them kicked out. Idiots. That's when the Ministry finally decided that, wait a minute, that's Mr. Potter down there, he just got attacked... shouldn't we have somebody guarding him?" He said sarcastically and shook his head. "A few minutes later, the Aurors finally showed up, because apparently Mr. Potter's protection wasn't really that important until the Goblins were seen doing it instead." He snorted.

"Nobody ever said the Ministry was competent." Minerva said with a sigh.

"I know, it gets even better when I was told that the Aurors weren't even here entirely for Mr. Potter, they're here to protect the hospital staff from the Goblins." He told her deadpan.

Minerva blinked at him. Looked at the Goblins, then the Aurors, blinked at him again. He gave a wry grin and nodded his understanding. She reached up and rubbed at her temples. "I don't suppose it's too much to ask whether the Ministry even has the slightest idea of who it was that attacked them?" When he shook his head, she sighed. "Well, I'm sure the Goblins will find something soon. So far they're handling this whole situation a good deal better than the Ministry ever could." She muttered. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the Goblins all trying not to smirk throughout the conversation. Or the fact that the Aurors looked like they were trying to keep from saying something.

"Here we are." He said, putting a hand on Harry's door to open it, but the closest Goblin cleared his throat, and pointed to the door across the hall, to Sirius' room. "Wha- ugh. Of course. How on earth..." He grumbled as he switched sides of the hall, he didn't notice the grins the Goblins flashed each other, although Minerva did. She just raised an eyebrow and followed the Healer, who was muttering the whole time about children being able to escape monitoring and containment wards.

"Mr. Potter?" He asked when he opened the door, only to see Harry sitting by Sirius' bedside dutifully doing his homework. "Professor McGonagall is here to take you back to school." He said when the boy looked up.

When Minerva walked in, she wasn't surprised to see Hedwig sitting on a pillow with her wing in a splint, dozing. What was surprising, was that Harry was doing his homework with his arm in a sling, and a split lip. "What's wrong with his arm?" She asked.

"That was one of the areas where we had to regrow the bones, several of the bones in that arm broke, as well as a rib. He broke them when he pushed himself and Lord Black out of the way, unfortunately down a flight of stairs. We also applied some strengthening charms to the area, so that it regrows at the proper strength, but, like I said, we had to be careful because of the concussion. It could have been worse. From what we were told, Lord Black put his Hit-Wizard training to good use and managed to curl himself around Mr. Potter here as they rolled down the stairs." Minerva put a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder when he looked down guiltily. "We already have the relevant notes in his file, which Madam Pomfrey already has in his linked file at Hogwarts. Which, is the only reason we are releasing him already." He added.

Madam Pomfrey was the Severus Snape of Healing. She was the best. There was almost nothing she couldn't do with Healing with some time and study.

"Yes, if anybody can finish the job, Poppy can." Minerva murmured, looking at Sirius on the bed. It was the first time she'd seen him in twelve years, the last time was just a few weeks after Harry's first birthday, when he took Harry for the day so James and Lily could get some time alone after being cooped up in that house with a baby for several months. He was bandaged up, it was clear that he had some broken bones himself, and he was still. Unnaturally still for somebody that was usually so energetic and always moving. "Come on, Harry. Time to go." She said, picking up his bag and holding it so he could put his books away. "He is alright to Floo, though?"

"Of course, as long as you go with him."

"But, I want to stay with Sirius." Harry finally spoke up, even as he awkwardly slipped his books in his bag, pulling his pouch out of it at the same time.

"Lord Black will be fine, he's being moved back to Gringotts tomorrow, as per your previous arrangements, so he won't be here much longer, anyway. Right now, he'll just sleep until his body says he can wake up. But, he will wake up." Smethwyck said reassuringly.

Harry bit lip, but nodded slowly and gingerly. Proof of the lingering headache. "I'll take your bag," Minerva said, starting to sling it over her shoulder, but Harry stopped her and started to clumsily open the pouch and put his bag in it instead. She shook her head with a small smile and helped. Then she helped him tie it to his belt-loops. "Do you want to take Hedwig?" Harry nodded again, and carefully gathered up his feathered companion (and her pillow) in his one arm. The movement caused her to stir, and she blinked one eye at her human, hooted softly, nuzzled his chest with her head in comfort, and went back to dozing.

"Come along," Minerva said softly, putting a hand on the boys back and gently moving him towards the door. He looked back at Sirius one more time before he let himself be guided out of the room. "did you leave anything in your room?" She asked before they started walking down the hall. When he shook his head, she nodded. "Alright." She nodded respectfully to the Goblins as they followed Smethwyck past them, they were probably going to stay and guard Sirius until he was back in the safety of their halls. Harry didn't look like he noticed them, all his attention was on the dozing owl in his arms.

Once they were safely in the lift, one of the warriors spoke. " ** _When they catch the one who did this, I hope they make it long and slow."_** He said simply. The others all grinned ferally, scaring the Aurors.

* * *

When Harry walked into the common room after making a quick stop towards the Hospital Wing, he was surprised when he was surrounded by Weasley's and the Quidditch team, and all of them were a mess of noise asking if he was okay. Well, he was really surrounded by the entire house, but everyone else was more or less kept away by the red-heads and his teammates.

Madam Pomfrey said she was only giving him a half hour to get a few things to read, or do, and make sure he showed his face so the others would know he was alive, but then he was wanted straight back in her Hospital Wing. He had no idea how he convinced her to actually let him go... probably the puppy dog eyes he used. Not even Uncle Sev was immune to them! However, with everyone else surrounding him (being careful of his arm, which was still in its sling) and clamoring for his attention, he had a feeling that he wasn't going to make that half-hour deadline. Severus was probably going to be waiting for him to get back, too! (Or at least making plans to sneak in later on). And after the past two days, he really wanted to see his other godfather.

"Hey, I don't have long before Madam Pomfrey wants me back." He said quietly to Percy and Oliver, "She only let me come here to show my face and keep you all from breaking down the Hospital Wing doors." Well, she said she would allow him to get some books, but what she didn't know was that he had most of his books with him, in his trunk, which was sitting in his bag, inside his pouch. He knew that, with the security he had on it, it would be safe to leave in his dorm, especially since they had the dorm warded, too, but he was very possessive of his things. He would probably leave it in his dorm like everybody else and use both his trunks eventually. But for now...

He didn't mention the effect their noise was having on his concussion.

Percy nodded, "Alright, you lot, lets give the kid some space. He's only got so long to be here." He called to everybody else. Everybody else grumbled good-naturedly, but went back to what they were doing with some glance overs to make sure he was really alright.

"Are you ok, Harry? I couldn't believe it when we read it in the papers..." Hermione trailed off, for once not going on a rant about something related to her initial question. It had been horrifying to hear about the attack on Harry and his godfather just as they were leaving the courthouse. Of course, it also more or less confirmed the rumors going around that Harry had been attending a trial for his relatives. Luckily, nobody had been able to guess what the trial was about exactly. Although, it was common knowledge that they were in trouble with the goblins, the more ignorant students assumed that was what the trial was about, except for those who knew a bit more about how the Goblin-Wizard treaties worked.

"Yeah, I'll be alright. Madam Pomfrey just wants me in the Hospital Wing tonight and then she said I might be able to go to class tomorrow, although I'll be on magic restriction, and if we brew in potions tomorrow, I'll probably have to leave after getting the assignment. And, my arm will heal up, it's just going slower because of my concussion. They couldn't use much by way of potions, so..." He shrugged lightly. His ribs were still tender.

"Where's Hedwig?" Neville suddenly asked. He was surprised the protective owl wasn't here right now, especially while her owner was injured. And, he would bring up Sirius when they were in a more private setting.

"Oh," Harry reached into his robe pocket and gently pulled his Familiar out of the enchanted space. Professor Flitwick had charmed it for him after he and Professor McGonagall stepped out of the Floo. He said it was so Hedwig could still be with her human, but not have to worry about keeping her balance on his shoulder with her injured wing, and his own lingering injuries. All the girls who were watching Harry's group let out small, sympathetic gasps of horror at seeing the beautiful owl sporting her own injuries. "Professor Flitwick charmed one of my pockets, so its a nice little den in there for her. It would have been a lot worse if she hadn't been there." He finished quietly, running a hand through her feathers. She hooted softly and sent reassurance through the link, making him smile softly at her.

Then he glanced at the time and barely caught himself before he cursed. He should have been back in the Hospital Wing five minutes ago. "I gotta go, before Madam Pomfrey loses it and never lets me out again. I'll see you guys tomorrow!" He called as he hurried as best he could back out the portrait hole.

When he finally got back to the Hospital Wing, all he could was smile sheepishly at Madam Pomfrey's stern lecture that a 'half hour _means_ a half hour, young man!'

When she got him settled, she went back into her office with a sigh. Why did young Mr. Potter always seem to spend so much time in her Wing? It wasn't even Quidditch related this time... it would be so much better if it was Quidditch related this time. Especially since, from what she had heard, they didn't even know who the attacker was going for.

Harry Potter; the Boy-Who-Lived, Heir Potter-Black and who knows what other families in the Potter genealogy, and son of three of the most skilled fighters during the war.

Or Sirius Black; Lord Black, powerful Hit-Wizard, one of the biggest thorns in the Death Eaters side, cleaned up the Auror department of some of the corruption.

Both had a great deal of enemies. The question was, which of those enemies decided to act?

* * *

Mattie looked at the figure in the bed, worried.

He needed to tell his Master Sirius what the Healers said about Kreature, and what Kreature told Mattie about Master Regulus. It was very important, both for the Family, and for Master Sirius' peace of mind. Especially since one of the Dark Lords objects had been found inside a house belonging to the Black family. The Master needed to know how it came to be there so he could make a decision for the Family regarding it. He needed to know so he could make blanket orders to the Family elves so that nothing like what happened to Master Regulus and Kreature would happen again. Mattie shivered just thinking about it, he didn't want to go anywhere near a cave of Inferi, thank you very much.

Master Sirius would need to know about that, too, so somebody could be sent to destroy the Inferi and possibly get Master Regulus body back for proper burial, if at all possible. He didn't want to think about what they would find there, though, if they did manage to locate the body inside the lake.

In regards to Kreature, the Master was the only one who could authorize the extensive treatments the Centaur's recommended the elf undergo if he was ever going to be able to properly function again, Mistress Walburga and being alone in that house for so long had really messed the old elf up. Both physically and mentally.

Normally, getting treatment for an elf wouldn't be a problem, at least not in families like the Blacks who, despite what some would believe, actually respected the old agreements made with elvenkind back when House-elves bound themselves to wizards for survival. They actually remembered the protections cast upon the elves, they actually (most of the family, anyway, there was always that one person) respected their elven workers.

However, treatments that were this extensive... the Centaurs couldn't do anything without authorization, and some kind of bartering. The usual price, usually supplies that they couldn't get themselves and such, wasn't going to be enough for this case. The damage was too extensive, they were going to have to purge years worth of ambient Dark and Black magic from the older elf's system. Not to mention what years worth of listening to Mistress Walburga's portrait and his failure (through no fault of his own) to follow Master Regulus' last orders.

Mattie jumped when somebody came in, and Healer Smethwyck blinked, surprised to see the little elf. "Hello, unless you work for the hospital, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave." He said, cautiously. Personal and Family elves weren't really allowed in the hospital as a general rule, security purposes.

Mattie bit his lip and glanced at Master Sirius on the bed again, "When will Master Sirius wake up, Mattie has important news to tells him." He asked, almost desperately. He didn't even bother introducing himself, as he normally would. It was only good manners, after all, and afforded a little extra protection when speaking to other wizards, to identify what Family you belonged to and your position in that Family, after all. Most wizards wouldn't dare mess with an Elf from a family like the Blacks. Most wizards, some didn't quite get the memo that it was a bad idea until it was too late.

Smethwyck's eyes softened a little, and he sighed. "I'm afraid the damage was extensive. He'll wake up when his body is ready to wake up. There is no real way of knowing when that will be though, not in cases like this. All we can tell, is that he will wake up."

Mattie bit his lip in worry as he studied his master again, he knew that he couldn't use his elf magic to speed up the Master's recovery, elf magic and human magic didn't really mix in that way, not to mention that Mattie was no Healer. He knew the basics, of course, all good elves knew basic first aid. Especially if they were part of large families. Since larger families usually always had at least one or two small children running around that liked to get injured doing to oddest things. But, this was a little beyond basic first aid. He would just have to trust the Healers word, as much as he wanted his Master to get better NOW. Master Sirius had never been made to sit still.

Smethwyck studied the worried elf, and briefly wondered just what on earth the little creature had to tell Lord Black so bad, before deciding that with a family like the Black's, he really didn't want to know. He sighed, "We are moving him back to Gringotts tomorrow, they might let you visit." He finally said, making it clear to the elf that he really needed to leave.

Mattie nodded, before popping out, reappearing in Grimmauld Place to check on things there, before heading to the other properties that he knew would be checked over by the Gringotts teams as well, so he could check over what he already knew needed to be looked at by them, and to make sure the elves at those properties, as well as the Black family members occupying them, would know that they were to cooperate fully with the teams, by order of Lord Black. This was the first chance he really got to do this, he'd been busy with Grimmauld Place and going back and forth to check on Kreature with the Centaurs. That, and he just got the list today about which properties were going to be checked.

While he was in Mistress Cassiopeia's home, he paused. She was the eldest Black alive at the moment, and while he was thinking he could go see the Young Heir about the treatment for Kreature, he didn't really think that the matter about the Inferi was... appropriate. Considering the Young Master's age. But... since the Lord and Heir were unavailable for this decision... would it be appropriate to ask a Family Elder?

"Mistress?" He finally asked tentatively.

She looked over, "Yes, Mattie? What is it?" She asked, she was still considering the letter she received a few days ago from Sirius, so if Mattie was here because that boy wanted an answer right now...

"Master Sirius is being in the hospital, but I's has information from Kreature that needs to being known. It be's about Master Regulus. And the Young Heir is being... too young for this." Mattie said, nervously. He still wasn't sure if this was appropriate, but this needed to be acted on, right away. There was also the fact that he had yet to really be introduced to the Young Master, so he wasn't really sure how much Master Sirius had told him yet, or how much Master Sirius wanted him to know for now.

"Ah, and you aren't sure who exactly to go to about it?" She asked softly. She knew that Regulus was loved and adored by everyone in the Family, house-elves included. So, really, and news about him was much sought after. They assumed he died, but they didn't KNOW. And they really needed to know.

"Yes, Mistress. I's being going to ask the Young Master about the price for Kreature's treatment, but..."

"That's quite alright, Mattie. He will need to get the practice on that, anyway. Besides, it will be good for him to start interacting with the Black Family elves more... I realize he has Mipsy, but..." She trailed off. "No, I agree, he is too young to handle some aspects of our Family. Of course, I have a feeling that Sirius is going to be doing away with some of those..." She grimaced a little, not exactly pleased with the thought of Family traditions being done away with, but could also acknowledge that the Family was almost extinct and many of those traditions could be part of the reason why. Especially when some of the younger family members started following that upstart Tom Riddle. Oh, was she glad her grandfather turned down Riddles requests to marry her.

She had never even given the slightest indication that she could possibly be interested in him! Of course, old families like there's didn't really care about interest being the two parties, they just cared about the political and social wealth the union could bring, but still.

She shook off her thoughts and focused back on Mattie. "What did the Healer say about Sirius' condition?" She asked first.

"He is saying the damage is bad, and they is not knowing when Master Sirius will wake up, but he will wake up." Mattie said, he was determined that Master Sirius would wake up, even if he had to take the Master to the Valley in America for some of their treatments. "They be's moving him to Gringotts tomorrow's, Mistress." He added, so she could know who to ask for more information.

"Alright, Mattie, now, what do you know about Regulus?" She decided she would go see the Healers early tomorrow, before Sirius was moved. It had been a long time since she was last in Britain anyway, maybe it was time to show an interest in that messed up country again.

So, he told her. About the Horcrux the Curse-breakers found inside Grimmauld Place and how Kreature said it got there when Mattie made sure to ask. After all, it was just Kreature and Walburga there for years, if something was there, Kreature would be sure to know about it. He made sure to mention the lake of Inferi guarding the place Kreature and Regulus found the Horcrux, and how Regulus had ordered Kreature to leave him there and destroy the thing.

By the time Mattie was finished, she was silently crying. "So, even Regulus turned away from that creature eventually." She murmured. She was honestly surprised, considering the hooks Walburga had in the poor boy... and Walburga had made sure to be especially thorough with Regulus when Sirius showed himself to be such a disappointment to her. And, most of the family had followed her lead, Cassiopeia included. One thing Walburga and Cassiopeia had never agreed on, however, was the Dark Lord Voldemort. Tom Riddle was in his seventh year Walburga started school, so she hadn't really known him, and then refused to listen whenever somebody tried to tell her the Dark Lord's true lineage. Although, now that she thought about it... Walburga was one of several hundred girls to be put under a restraining order by Tom Riddle...

"Thank you, Mattie, I will see that this matter is taken care of." She said with narrowed eyes, thinking about who she could contact to take care of the Inferi, and who she could trust to possibly retrieve what was left of Regulus' body. Gringotts was a possibility, even Barchoke had been somewhat fond of Regulus. Or, as fond as any goblin could be when it came to the Black Family. They weren't exactly known for promoting Goblin and Creature rights. About the only non-human being they treated well were their House-elves, after all.

Mattie bowed, relieved, and then popped away to find the Potter Head-elf, Mipsy, to see if the Young Master was healthy to deal with the treatments for Kreature. After all, last he was aware, Master Sirius and the Young Master were together the day Master Sirius was attacked. And, Mipsy would be able to introduce him to her Master, since Master Sirius wasn't available to do it. Mattie knew that Master Sirius had been planning on introducing them soon, but obviously that would have to happen differently now.


	27. Chapter 27

_Parseltongue_

 ** _Gobbledygook_**

 _Harry Potter; the Boy-Who-Lived, Heir Potter-Black and who knows what other families in the Potter genealogy, and son of three of the most skilled fighters during the war._

 _Or Sirius Black; Lord Black, powerful Hit-Wizard, one of the biggest thorns in the Death Eaters side, cleaned up the Auror department of some of the corruption._

 _Both had a great deal of enemies. The question was, which of those enemies decided to act?_

 _Mattie bowed, relieved, and then popped away to find the Potter Head-elf, Mipsy, to see if the Young Master was healthy to deal with the treatments for Kreature. After all, last he was aware, Master Sirius and the Young Master were together the day Master Sirius was attacked. And, Mipsy would be able to introduce him to her Master, since Master Sirius wasn't available to do it. Mattie knew that Master Sirius had been planning on introducing them soon, but obviously that would have to happen differently now._

* * *

Harry was right, Severus did sneak in not long after Madam Pomfrey left. Of course, it wasn't without frowning at the fact Harry's bed had his name mover it on a plaque. Well, it wasn't Harry's fault he was in here so much... mostly.

Most of the time it was Slytherin's in Potions or Quidditch accidents.

Honest!

Although... he supposed that the last time he was in here was more or less his fault... since he was stupid enough to go after the Stone like that. Severus had talked to him about that a lot over the summer, when he was able to get away from his duties as Hogwarts Potions Master. Which, admittedly happened a lot this summer solely because Dumbledore had been gone and couldn't demand the most random things of his time. All he'd had to do was work on Potions for the Infirmary and his usual orders from outside Hogwarts. Mostly from St. Mungoes.

Severus had talked him through other things he could have done about that situation, and none of them involved investigating for himself and then going after it himself. Although, Severus had _not_ been happy when Harry told him that they had gone to McGonagall. He'd confronted her over it as soon as he left the Longbottom's home, and she didn't even remember the incident.

Three guesses how that happened and the first two don't count.

Severus also talked to him about the whole 'turning Quirrell to dust, before a wraith-like thing came out of him' thing. According to Severus, and to Severus's relief, Harry hadn't outright killed him. Quirrell's life had been forfeit the moment he let Voldemort hitch a ride and leech off his magic and very soul. However, Harry's touch burning him like it had, had more than likely sped up his end. Possibly, Severus said he wouldn't know without having examined the ashes at the time. Now, too long had passed, and Dumbledore had likely banished the ashes after sending a sample to the DMLE for identification, so the Ministry could register it and write out a Death Certificate.

He was shaken out of his thoughts by a concerned hand on his shoulder. Severus had come in with a batch of potions, he'd already filled the stock, but he was using the excuse that he wanted to make sure there were extras since it was Quidditch practice season, and the Slytherin team tryouts was in a couple of days. He figured that there would be a rash of duels breaking out in the Common Room afterwards, started by those who felt they should have gotten on the team instead of the one who actually got on the team. As always, he would pull the captain (Probably Terrance Higgs) aside afterwards and teach them a few obscure wards to protect their beds and belongings.

Harry was concerned when Severus explained, but understood that it was the way of Slytherin House. As long as nothing permanent was done, they informed him of what was happening, a Prefect was there to oversee the duel, and they continued to present a united front outside the Common Room, he didn't really care. "That's different than Gryffindor, that's for sure. With us, you'll usually just get pranked into oblivion or made to sleep in the Common Room for a few nights. Or, they'll shout out the problem in the Common Room." He remarked with a shrug.

Severus sneered, "Yes, a bunch of brash Gryffindors, of course they'll go for the 'in your face' approach." Although, personally, he didn't really see the point of dueling over who got on the team. Since the outcome of the duel didn't change the outcome of the line-up. A duel on the ground didn't do anything to prove that you can fly better than the person who's already proven they can fly better. But, whatever. If they wanted to duel for honor despite the outcome not changing...

Harry grinned. "Sometimes, that's the best approach." He quipped. And he truly believed that. There was a time and a place for everything. There was a time to be brash, and there was a time where being sneaky and subtle was the only way to go. He looked thoughtful, "Maybe if the Lions and Snakes got along better, more issues would be solved. The Snakes sneaky attitude would temper the Lions brashness, while the Lions would force the Snakes to just go for it sometimes." He almost started laughing at the horrified expression on Severus's face, only stopping because it made his head and ribs start to ache a little.

Severus managed to spend about fifteen minutes with him before he had to go, he didn't want to be found out, at least not by Dumbledore.

After Severus was gone, he sighed, counting down until he could get out of here, already. With any luck, that would be the next day, just after breakfast. Hopefully. He'd already been informed that the next day in potions, would be a theoretical lesson, which Severus had _not_ arranged just for him. It had already been planned... Harry wasn't sure how much of that he believed.

He stiffened when the doors of the Wing creaked open and a foreign magic source came in, obviously a wizard, but who...? It felt vaguely familiar, almost like he had felt it before. He laid still and felt it before he cringed. It was the Headmaster. He'd never felt his magic feel like this before, though. Normally, it was warm and inviting, exuding trust and comfort.

Now though... now it was cold and slimy feeling.

It was disgusting and made Harry want to jump in a cauldron of the strongest cleaning solutions known to wizard kind to try and wash the feeling off. How on earth did he hide something like that on a daily basis? It was understandable that he did, who knows which students are going to be magic-sensitive, if any.

He briefly wondered why he wasn't disguising it now, and worse. Why he was here when Madam Pomfrey wasn't and he was down with still healing ribs and a concussion. Not to mention Madam Pomfrey had given him a small amount of Skelegro to help his bones heal further during the night and he wasn't supposed to move if he could help it.

He frowned when he could feel through the magic that Dumbledore was _happy_ about something. Extremely happy about something. Harry didn't want to know what it was and hoped it had nothing to do with him.

When he felt the Headmaster coming for his curtained off bed, he quickly pretended to be asleep and started thinking of what to do if the old man tried anything. He'd listen, of course, but the moment he felt a spike in magic or heard anything he didn't like, he was going to set off the monitoring wards around his bed. It wasn't hard to do, he knew it so well he could probably do it in his sleep.

One of the few perks of being in here so much. Well, that and the fact that if Pomfrey wasn't busy, he could usually wheedle a Healing lesson out of her if he was in here longer than a night.

It took all he had not to squirm when the Headmaster stopped at the foot of his bed, and then just stood there. Staring at him. For several minutes. He was just about to set off the wards and get Pomfrey in here when he started to talk. It took everything he had not to visibly startle.

"Ah, I am glad you survived that nasty, nasty fall, my boy. I don't know what I would have done it you were to die before your time... plans would have needed to be scrapped, unfortunately, I'm too far along in my plans to just toss them. Although, it would have been merciful, perhaps, if you had just let Black die. His end would have been much quicker and painless if he'd just taken that curse. No matter, though, no matter... he'll be easy for my man to get while in St. Mungoes... he won't fail me a second time, I know. Oh, Harry, you should have just left him in Azkaban." Dumbledore chided the 'sleeping' boy.

"Yes, I think my plans are finally coming together nicely... just a few tweaks needed here and there..." He said, satisfied, throwing a quick compulsion over the boy before he left, not knowing that it didn't take hold because of at least two of the rings hidden on Harry's fingers.

'That should help the potions start working. Now, to figure out why he didn't try to get his relatives off...' He thought as he left.

As soon as he was gone, Harry bolted up in his bed and looked around wildly, wishing he could go shower, clean the feeling of that slimy magic off of himself. Unfortunately, he couldn't shower or anything until his arm was taken out of its sling, instead he had to make do with cleaning charms. Ugh.

After visually making sure Dumbledore was gone, he sat in a meditation pose, hoping that occluding to see what he'd tried to do wouldn't make his concussion worse. He really didn't want to spend more time in here than necessary. To his relief, he found that whatever Dumbledore had done was taken care of by his rings. He glanced at the door and decided to tell Severus about it next time they had a tutoring session.

There was also what he said about Sirius... no. Sirius had the Goblins and a couple of Aurors guarding him, nobody was getting to him. And he was in the private wing, and security there was much, much higher than in the rest of the Hospital. He would be fine, and wait for news in the morning. It was all he could do.

For now, he would sleep.

He really needed to find out how to use his status as Heir of the Founders to connect with the wards, that way he could keep Dumbledore out of places that he did not want him in. Like the Infirmary when he was in here, vulnerable.

* * *

Dumbledore went back to his rooms, satisfied that the problem had been fixed and everything was back on track.

Or would be once he got everything in the Wizengamot sorted out, the Lord's were starting to cause a ruckus, he'd thought they'd been cowed years ago. He frowned, Potter showing up like he did and dragging out the Wills stirred them up and made several of them find their backbones. No matter, no matter... He had more than enough 'friends' among them, he was still in control. He would allow them their victories now while he continued to indoctrinate their children.

He had all the time in the world to get the world back how he wanted it.

Although first he had to find the blasted reporter who was writing about him! Where were they getting their information? He wouldn't have thought the goblins would go to the DMLE once they realized what was going on, it was too bad that his pet Goblin had died a few years ago... now he had to find a new one.

* * *

Sharpaxe and Barchoke smiled in relief. The Healers report was good, his body was now mostly healed from the attack and they expected him to wake up any time now. That was good, that was very good. They would send a message informing young Harry later. For now, they were watching an... interrogation. Of the wizard that attacked Sirius Black and Harry Potter-Black in the first place. Amelia Bones was with them so she could tell the idiots at the Ministry the results.

The Goblins absolutely refused to let a goon from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures do it. That idiot would be complaining so much about their chosen methods that they would never get any work done, and then he would be going running to his boss and telling them all about what 'savages' they were, and how the guidelines for the bank and Goblin race needed to be revamped, thus restricting them from properly doing their jobs further.

Normally, they wouldn't care about the restrictions anyway and just live however they wanted, like the other Races did. But, they happened to run the only bank in the Magical Community world-wide. Underground, in their homes and caverns, sure. They did whatever they wanted no matter what the Ministry tried to say. They had their own government, after all. But when it came to operations above the bank, and when doing business, they had to abide by the rules the Ministry set.

If only to keep the annoyances at bay.

Honestly, outlawing wand use for Beings and Races. Did those idiots not realize that Beings and Races didn't _need_ wands? They had their own magic. For that matter, Wizards themselves didn't use to need wands. Or verbal incantations, or wand movements. It was only the declining strength of the population as a whole due to inbreeding, and a growing reliance on the sticks that made them too weak to be able to properly use magic. Not to mention the Ministry controlling every bit of information printed, and therefore forcing the population to rely on the things because they didn't know any better, due to a paranoid Minister several centuries ago.

He destroyed all information and records about Wandless magic being freely used, or rewrote it to make it seem like Wizards have always relied on wands. According to the Goblins history books, that Minister himself was a Wizard that was too weak to use Wandless magic himself, and he was paranoid that the stronger wizards in the population would use that fact to overthrow him without him even realizing it. Due to his limited capability. So, he limited everyone to his level.

It truly amazed the Goblins sometimes that Wizards could accuse them of being greedy savages, and yet they continually restricted the use of the greatest gift a Being could ever possess among their own people. They continually threw the Balance out, forcing the rest of the Magical populations to compensate.

By the end of the two hours, they knew exactly who this man was, his previous occupation as a Hit-Wizard until Sirius filed paperwork that got him fired, and a who he was after.

He was after Sirius Black the whole time, although he wouldn't have been too heartbroken if he got Harry, too.

They also knew that Albus Dumbledore hired him, and this wasn't the first time the respected wizard who was the 'epitome of all that is light and good' hired him to take somebody out. When they questioned him on that one, several other well known and well connected names flowed out his mouth. Including more than one Lord or Lady of the Wizengamot... including Lady Dorea Potter nee Black and Lord Charlus Potter. He made it look like Dragon Pox.

Sharpaxe wanted them to leave him in a room with this man for several hours. This wizard killed two of his best friends. He glanced over and almost jumped for joy when the King nodded his head in permission to his silent request. Of course, that was going to have to wait until the full investigation was done and they had all the information.

Sadly.

His blade was getting dull, sitting behind a desk most of the time.

Not that any of the Goblins he sparred with in the Training chambers would ever agree with that statement.

* * *

It was a week before Harry was taken off magic restriction. During that week, he had finally found a quiet place to hide away in, and he summoned Mipsy with his new dog (that he eventually named Maddie) every night, and they played together while Hedwig watched, wishing she could join but knowing that she couldn't. Hedwig's Healer from Gringotts also came by (via McGonagall's Floo) to check her over. By the end of the same week, she too was proclaimed well enough to fly, as long as she eased herself back into postal duties.

(The second year boys also chased Ginny out of their dorm again, although when her brothers asked, she denied being in there.)

After the last time, she knew better than to try and restrict the proud Familiar entirely, so instead she made sure the owl knew what could happen if she overdid it before her body was capable of her usual level of activity again. She left satisfied that she got her point across, if the way Hedwig sat hunched in on herself while she trembled and stared at the Healer was any indication. After all, no owl wanted a lame wing, that was tantamount to death for any creature of the sky.

When he summoned her the first time after the attack, Mipsy brought along another elf, who introduced himself as Mattie, the Head-elf for the Black Family. Who gave him a crash course on some duties of the Lord pertaining to the House-elves in his Family.

 _"Hello, who are you?" Harry asked in surprise at the appearance of another elf._

 _"I's being Mattie, Head-elf of House Black." The little elf introduced._

 _"Hello, it's nice to meet you." Harry was happy that this elf didn't fall into hysterics at his polite greeting like Neville told him some elves did. It meant that the Black family at least respected their elves to some degree. Surprising, considering what he knew of the Black families past opinions on Creatures and the laws they'd passed. "Uh, did you need something, or..." He honestly couldn't think of why the elf would be here, unless he just wanted to introduce himself to the Heir of his House._

 _His ears dropped a little. "Yes, sirs. One of the elves, Kreature, is being with the Centaurs for Healings, sirs. But, the Healing is too big for me and they is needing to discuss payments with yous. I is not having authority for this, you is."_

 _Harry was a little confused. "Ok, how about you back up and explain just who Kreature is and the system here? What is the usual payment, what was the treatment they provided, and... well, what are they asking for in payment for his treatment. If it's too big?"_

 _Mattie nodded, pleased that the young Master was asking the right questions, and trusting him to answer. "Kreature was being the personal elf of Mistress Walburga, she was Master Sirius's mother, at Grimmauld Place. Master Arcturus banished hers and Kreature there after Young Master bes defeating the Dark Lord and Master Sirius is being sent to prison. Mistress Walburga was..." He paused to consider what he could say that wouldn't sound like a blatant insult to one of his House, even if she was dead and all the elves hated her. "Her mind was not right." He finally settled. "She is being obsessed with the Dark Lord, and gave Kreature odd orders." He shook his head, honestly not understanding the orders Kreature had told him that she would give._

 _"And, when Master Regulus died, he took Kreature with him, to be retrieving a locket that being belonging to the Dark Lord, and he is telling Kreature to destroy it. Only Kreature could not bes destroying it. It being protected, the Gringotts team is having the locket now, they is cleansing it." Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He had a feeling that that was one Horcrux down. "But, Kreature is being around it for years, and then Mistress Walburga is dying, so he is being alone, with orders he could not be completing."_

 _Mipsy interrupted here, "It is hurting us, it is messing with our minds when we cannot bes completing an order, and nobody bes telling us to let it go." She said softly. "It is affecting our magics, it is." Harry glanced at her, concerned._

 _"So, mentally, Kreature needs some help. What about physically?" He asked, concerned, and a little angry at Regulus Black for doing that to his elf. Although, he supposed Regulus couldn't be blamed for not considering that the item wouldn't be destroyed easily. After all, House-elf magic could do many, many things that wizards magic couldn't. He must have thought that the elf would be able to destroy it, without a problem._

 _"Grimmauld Place, was... it was not good for living. Kreature is not young elf, but he is looking older than he is being. The Dark and Black magics in the house being twisting everything, and it is hurting Kreature as he is living there, but he is having nowhere else to go, he is being banished there with Mistress Walburga."_

 _"And when Walburga died, nobody thought to send him to another property, or send a few more elves to help him maintain Grimmauld." Harry said, sadly, understanding._

 _"Yes, sirs."_

 _"Ok, now that I have an idea of what exactly is wrong with him, what is the system with the Centaurs?"_

 _"Normally, if an elf is needing Healing, we trade things the Centaurs be needing, food and supplies they cannot be making or finding in forests." Mipsy started. "The Head-elf bes having authority to handle that, we is just informing Master that the elf is in Healing and not workings."_

 _"But this isn't a normal problem that needs healing." Harry summed up. "Which means you won't have the authority to handle the payment." He thought for a moment while they nodded. "Alright, did they already ask for what they want in return, or do I need to negotiate something here?"_

 _"They is wanting some books from Library so they's can teach foals about world outside they's territory. I's has the list of what they's being already having, and what they's would like." Mattie said, this was a big request. Most Masters wouldn't even consider granting it and just put the elf in question out of his misery. He had a feeling, though, that the Young Master was not going to be like that._

True to Mattie's thoughts about the new Young Master, Harry authorized the payment, even going so far as to ask Mattie to copy several other texts he thought the Centaur's would find useful for their foals education. And a few children's books, to go along with it. Naturally, none of it was anything that would cause any big family secrets to be spread around, they were just books about the world in general, and none of it was Ministry propaganda crap. They were the uncensored versions.

And, now that Harry was off magic (and flying, Wood hadn't been happy when his Seeker had to sit out, but he understood that when it came to head injuries, it was better safe than sorry. He was more happy that Harry was still in one piece) restriction, Severus sent a note about resuming lessons in the Room of Requirement. Which was good, because he needed to practice the practical part of class that he'd missed for the past week. He partly wished that magic restriction meant he could miss class entirely, but there were still the theoretical parts that he could sit in. It wasn't all his classes he'd wanted to miss, just the one...

 _"Alright, class!" Lockhart said brightly when he flounced into the room, earning quiet groans from the boys and dreamy sighs from more than a few girls. Although, all the intelligent girls seemed to have gotten over their fan-worship pretty quickly once all the flaws in his books were pointed out so blatantly. The boys were dismayed that he seemed to have recovered from having his books recalled, and then being fined for stealing another's work. (They were still investigating who really did the feats he claimed, whether they had really been done at all, and how. Because, as Severus pointed out that day in the bookstore. Any Master of Defense or Creatures could tell you, many things he claimed, were impossible. For many reasons._

 _One of them being that the Vampire was now confined to eating lettuce for the rest of his life. Vampires physically could not eat/drink anything but blood. Attempting to go without would send them into a blood-rage, and the Covens were careful about making sure that didn't happen._

 _The Vampire communities all across the world were pointing fingers and pointing out that this sort of mockery happened when ignorance ran rampant and they were claimed to be nothing more than savage creatures, they were up in arms over the ignorance of Magical Britain, despite the ignorance not being anything new. Several had even been seen rolling on the floor in hysterics that somebody was stupid enough to have claimed such a feat... and_ everybody else believed him _._

 _Similarly, the Werewolf packs had been more cautious than usual. Because, while the Homorphus Charm_ did _force them back to human on nights of the full moon, it was also extremely painful and mentally damaging to them. Wolves who'd had it performed on them, tended to spend the next few moons in an uncontrolled, bloodthirsty rage. Hunters tended to use it one month, so they could come back the next month and say, 'see? I told you they were bloodthirsty monstrous beasts! Just look! This is why they should all be put down!' It was a favorite of there's to justify the views they were trying to promote and spread fear, with the uneducated general public unaware that they were the ones to cause the uncontrolled rampage. Otherwise, a wolf that accepts himself and doesn't fight the wolf and it's instincts is perfectly in control._

 _However, the Homorphus Charm was also difficult to cast, and the wolf packs and wolf-friendly Ministries tried to keep track of everyone capable of it. So, for Lockhart to have possibly stolen somebody else's 'accomplishment', meant that there could be somebody out there that they weren't aware of who was capable of sending them out of control._

 _So, yes, they were investigating who really performed some of these acts and how Lockhart was able to claim credit for them without the other party stepping forward and stopping him. At the moment, they suspected use of memory charms, but were unable to prove it, so he got off with several fines... for now._

 _Unfortunately, Lockhart insisted on 'teaching' out of his own recalled books, still saying that everything would be sorted out and they would get their textbooks back, while he ignored the textbooks provided by the bookstore as replacement. The teachers solved this by putting the sixth years in charge of a tutoring schedule for their houses in Defense, with the Head Boy and Girl in charge of overseeing, to make sure that the sixth years were treating the younger years right. The teachers would have put the seventh years in charge, but... NEWTS._

 _"Ah! Harry, it is good to see you here, and alright! Oh, but of course, it's most unfortunate that I wasn't there, I could have captured that ruffian no problem, no problem at all! Why, it almost reminds me of the time when..." And he spent the rest of the class period telling the students all about the time he saved the Egyptian Prince's daughter from a similar event. Ron and Harry glanced at each other and grimaced before quietly pulling out their homework for Transfiguration from that morning._

Harry also wanted to practice some new techniques Severus had him look up (through another note) for controlling his magic, just to see which would work best for him. He'd already shared them with Neville who, not being on restriction or still injured, had already made use of Harry's training room to see what worked best for himself. Neville wasn't nearly as powerful as Harry, but he was powerful in his own right, and he'd had a decent chunk of his own power sealed off, so... and even if he wasn't still trying to learn how to control his new power, the exercises were still good. He'd even shared them with Ron and Hermione to practice in their own time, their spell casting had already improved immensely.

So, now Harry was bouncing up and down in the Room of Requirement, waiting for Severus to get there. He was hoping that they'd work on catching him up with his spell-work for class tonight, instead of whatever else Severus might have planned, but he also knew that Severus's lesson plans for him seemed to keep getting backed up since so much seemed to be happening to make him postpone. Maybe if they got through what Severus wanted to go through, he could work on them? Or, he could practice them while practicing those techniques for control. Hmmm...

His excitement dimmed slightly when he suddenly remembered he had yet to tell Severus about Dumbledore's late night visit when he was in the Hospital Wing and what he said while he thought Harry was asleep. He'd been relieved to get an owl from Sharpaxe the next day around lunch informing him that Sirius was safely in Gringotts once more. The next morning, there was an article in the papers about the man who attacked them being caught trying to sneak into what was once Sirius' room so he could finish the job. The Goblins, it seemed, had stuck around just in case he came back.

 _"Oh my!" Hermione suddenly said a few moments after unfolding the mornings paper. She'd taken out a subscription after the start of the school year so she could keep track of what was happening, since her friend seemed so intent on making waves in the Wizarding world. It had also been at Madam Longbottom's suggestion, who requested that she keep an eye on the section of the paper dedicated to Wizengamot happenings and ongoing politics, especially new laws and policies._

 _Already the Wizengamot Lords had managed to, gleefully at that, overturn many policies that Dumbledore had put in place using his position as Chief Warlock. Like the one where he, as the Chief Warlock, or a representative sent by him had to be present at any and all Will writings, and that no Will would be legal without him signing off on it. Or the policy preventing the Chief Warlock (him) from being arrested, save overwhelming evidence. For many of those policies, they cited abuse of authority, pointing out that Dumbledore had to have been fulfilling his own personal agenda, like controlling Heir Potter-Black, when he sealed that Will away and went on to do the exact opposite of what it said. The strange thing was, they had no idea just how true that statement was._

 _Sadly, they could only overturn so many policies, and that was only because they could blatantly claim abuse of authority. Much of the power that should belong to them still sat with the old man._

 _Madam Longbottom had written that too many Muggleborns made the mistake of coming into Hogwarts, assuming that the laws and general culture would be the same as the one they grew up with in the Muggle world, and Dumbledore tended to encourage that view by catering to their beliefs so much while they were in school. They were then blindsided when they left school and discovered that the world they'd been living in, was a completely different culture, and they had no idea how to live in it, despite the fact that they were expected to after being in the Wizarding world for the past seven years._

 _It was actually a Statute of Secrecy risk (not to mention not so good for the economy) because so many Muggleborn left the Wizarding world behind to make a living for themselves in the Muggle world, back to the culture they were used to. The only ones that really stayed were the ones that had made friends with a Pureblood or wizard raised half-blood who'd managed to introduce them to the Wizarding culture while in school._

 _"What is it?" Harry asked her, glancing up in concern._

 _"Somebody tried to sneak into St. Mungoes last night. They think he was after one of the patients." She said quietly. She knew that Sirius had been moved yesterday morning, but this was too much coincidence._

 _"Sirius?" Harry asked in concern. He knew that his godfather was safe in Gringotts, but..._

 _"They think so. He was found near where Mr. Black was being roomed. The goblins that caught him are investigating his part in the attack. They don't say anything else." Hermione informed him after scanning the article again for a second._

 _"Why were the goblins still there?" Ron asked, confused._

 _"Just in case whoever attacked us came back. Since they didn't announce the move, and used a special Port-key straight out of Sirius' room so nobody saw it. So, everybody would have assumed that Sirius was still there." Harry explained. He knew this because it had been in the letter Sharpaxe wrote him the day before. "Everyone knew that I was released back to Hogwarts, but they didn't know who the guy was after. Me or Sirius, but I was safe here, while Sirius was still vulnerable at St. Mungoes." Harry glanced up at the Head Table, sweeping it with his eyes until they landed on Dumbledore, who was still reading his paper._

 _He could tell the minute that he came to the part of the person being caught in St Mungoes, because the rage flashed across his eyes, luckily when he glanced up at Harry, the boy was already concentrating on his breakfast, Occluding so he wouldn't show any reaction._

 _Harry just breathed a sigh of relief that they moved Sirius in time._

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen somebody so excited about getting extra lessons during their free-time." An amused voice said, and Harry turned around before launching himself at Severus, who caught him with a surprised grunt.

"I just want to use my magic again!" Harry said, matter-of-factly.

Severus shook his head in amusement, while mentally he was amazed that Harry was acting so open at this moment, and pleased that he'd just acted his age. He didn't see that happen often. He supposed that the threat the Dursley's posed being gone was allowing him to relax, probably for the first time in weeks, if not months.

Hedwig hooted from her perch on one of the Rooms training dummies. She agreed with Harry, it would be good to use magic again. Well, not that she herself could use magic, but she loved seeing her Wizard so excited about it. She loved feeling his joy at using magic.

Once Severus recovered from his shock, he smiled at his godson and a table appeared, with a few objects he remembered that they used that week in Charms and Transfiguration. "Alright, you've read about those different techniques, now lets put them into practice, some techniques might not work as well for you as others. That is alright, we will be seeing which ones do work best for you personally. And, seeing as you were unable to this week, we will be practicing them along with your class practicals." He said with a raised eyebrow as Harry let out a relieved breath.

Not that _that_ was surprising. The boy had other homework, Quidditch practice and workouts, and tutoring sessions with him. He probably wanted some time to himself, or to spend with friends. The session was very satisfying.

Luckily, it didn't take long before they worked out the best method. Also luckily, it was close enough to what Madam Longbottom had taught him that he wouldn't need to learn a completely different technique, just change what he already knew. Either way, they enjoyed their time together and Harry was overjoyed when he managed to do the practicals to a point that would give two of his favorite teachers heart-attacks over how advanced his efforts were.

At least now he could the color changing charm and make it one color, like it was supposed to be, instead of the million different colors and shades of colors. The multiple colors was supposed to come with time and experience, not to mention control. They hadn't gotten around to telling the other teachers yet, and didn't want to risk Dumbledore overhearing something through the portraits or other students.

* * *

Diary-Riddle was very pleased.

He'd managed to gather enough strength to sneak into second year boys dorm and test the defenses on Potter's things, and it appeared that the boy had access to Potter level wards. That was good... he knew first hand how effective those were because he himself had once asked Charlus Potter if he would be so kind as to cast the same wards around his own belongings. In addition to the Black family wards that would cause harm to any who tried, he also had Potter wards just in case someone were determined enough to get past the Black wards. Or, worse, those Black girls that grew up learning how to cast and break those same wards.

He had then set up a wizarding camera (after inventing a few spells, of course) to 'record' anything and everything that went on in that room while he wasn't there. It was comical watching everyone's reactions when they got past the Black wards only to discover that there was nothing of any sort of worth in his trunk. That it was empty or full of his things that he charmed to look differently. He'd hoped that the 'items' would make them leave him alone, but it didn't. They did leave his stuff alone after that, though.

Mostly.

So, yes, he was very pleased that Potter obviously knew how to keep his things safe from the creepy girls. Of course, he'd missed the intruder ward placed over the door when he first went in, but he noticed it when all the second year boys, minus Harry Potter since he was in the Hospital Wing for a check-up, showed up to see who was in their room. They hadn't been pleased to find Ginny back.

Although, he supposed he would have to exempt Dean Thomas and Ronald Weasley from the list of Mudbloods and Blood-traitors who would have a Basilisk sent after them, since they were acting as a defense against the crazies. *Sigh* Oh well, it was just two of them... wait, no. The older Weasley's as well. He could always get them later if they insisted on getting in his way. So, yes. Those few would be under an exception for now. Purely because they made good shields against insane women and teenage girls.

Soon, he would be strong enough to possess this particular crazy woman and take her down to the Chamber, so he could wake up his dear friend. Hmm... maybe he should do some more exploring this time around... see if Salazar Slytherin left anything behind other than a Basilisk.

He briefly wondered why it was suddenly so much easier to think than before. And when his thought process had become so muddied and how he only just now noticed.

* * *

Remus Lupin stared in shock at the Headlines of the paper while he sat in the Leaky Cauldron.

What on earth was going on? Why was Black in Gringotts Infirmary, when he should be in Azkaban? And what was he doing with Harry? Did Wizarding Britain lose what little brains they had left?! Just what on earth happened, he leaves the country for a few years to find work and he comes back to find this?

He swallowed and bit his lip, trying to decide what to do. On the one hand, Albus would know what was going on, he always cared about his students, despite his other faults, but on the other hand... he'd never quite trusted Albus as much as everyone else always thought he did. Especially after a couple of friends of his on the ICW representing the more werewolf friendly nations got ahold of the British Wizengamot's voting records from the past ten years, and showed the Potter seats, wielded by Albus, voting for harsher restrictions on Creatures, instead of more lenient ones like he was always promising Remus.

What to do, what to do...

He needed to find out what was going on, he had to find out how to protect Harry... Black was dangerous, Harry couldn't be left with him. Who knew what Black would do to him in revenge for his fallen Master... Even Severus would be a better option, he and the Marauder's had found themselves almost friendly with each other their last few years of school. Or at least, not as hostile, mostly they got along for Lily's sake. At least, James and Black got along with him for Lily's sake.

Of course, Severus!

He would know what was going on, he was also working at Hogwarts, so he was in the perfect position to tell him about Harry...

* * *

Remus has finally showed up! And, yes, he was out of the country trying to find work just to survive... a side-effect of the werewolf laws keeping him from getting a job in Britain.

And another thing! It is _hard_ to properly write a house-elf part without overdoing it. Luckily, I've decided to write the Head elf parts with them being a little more educated sounding than most British elves.


	28. Chapter 28

**I have gotten multiple reviews after chapter 21 regarding something I put about pitbulls and bulldogs. I'll make this brief.**

 **I looked it up in several sites, including the site where I got the information about the law regarding pitbull breeding, and they all had bulldogs listed as type of pitbull. dogtime. com specifically states that: "Any dog in the bully breed can be classified as a pit bull, and all are derived from dogs that were originally a cross between some type of bulldog and a terrier"**

 **So, yes. I do my research, and I do not appreciate reviews that condescending like that and suggest otherwise. Not all of them were written that way, but a few of them were.**

 **That being said, thank you for the reviews! And, I agree that pitbulls aren't aggressive unless raised right, if you don't know how to properly handle an animal, than I don't think you should have it. That's just my opinion, anyway. I probably should have put this at the beginning of chapter 22, but oh well.**

I have been so focused on the trial and writing everything with the attack, I completely forgot about this. Choices for the Muggleborn girl Harry met in the animal shelter are currently:

Morgan (or Morganna)- 3

Rosetta- 2

Lydia- 2

Allegra (Italian for Joyous)

Personally, I'm leaning more towards Allegra at the moment, because as soon as I got the review for it, I started mentally mapping out the family history for the girl. But, if the readers want something else, the readers will get something else.

 _ **Gobbledygook**_

Bill leaned back and frowned. The Hufflepuff cup and the Slytherin locket had already been cleansed and placed in the appropriate Family vault, with Family Heads being notified, if it was known who they were. That... wasn't what was bothering him.

What bothered him was that, when he went over the results of the monitoring charms and rune sets he had around them during the cleansing... he found something he wasn't expecting.

Instead of simply dissipating as other soul pieces did once the Horcrux was destroyed, these pieces seemed to go somewhere. He had no idea where it could be though, or how. But... at the same time, he also couldn't think of a single situation before this where a wizard was insane enough to make more than one Horcrux. It's just never happened before that they had record of.

And the Goblins had pretty extensive records.

He was playing with his dagger, proof of his station within the bank as well as being useful down in the tombs in situations where they couldn't use magic, when his supervisor came into his work area.

 ** _"There you are. I have a job for you... a Black Family Elder has contracted us about a cave of Inferi that the Dark Lord used. According to her, it is the original hiding spot for the Locket."_** He said.

This got Bill's attention. " ** _Inferi_** ** _?"_** He asked in disbelief. He didn't think there were any pockets of Inferi in Britain. They were all over the Egyptian tombs, but he didn't think they existed here. Although, if anybody would know how to make them, the Dark Lord Voldemort would.

He nodded. **_"Yes, it may also be where Regulus Black died, so you can't go in with fire spells blazing, we've been asked to try and retrieve the body if possible."_** Bill grimaced.

"Great." He muttered. "That should be fun."

The Goblin just smirked, obviously glad that it was Bill and not him that was going. Then he noticed what Bill was working on. **_"What's this?"_** He asked.

Bill sighed. **_"I got some strange readings from the monitors when I cleansed those two Horcruxes we'd found so far."_**

 ** _"Oh?"_**

 ** _"Instead of dissipating like normal, they traveled somewhere. I checked the Rune sets for finding them, but nothing. There are trails of where they went, and they were heading North. But... they might have stopped within some wards."_**

The Goblin was silent for a moment, studying the results as well. **_"Could they have rejoined with the main soul?"_** He asked after a moment. Rumor throughout the caverns (confirmed by Sharpaxe when asked) suggested that Heir Potter-Black faced the main soul at the end of the last school year, after the shade possessed his Defense professor for the entire year. It was possible that the shade was still somewhere in North UK.

Bill was quiet for a moment, thinking. **_"It's possible. Although... there would be so little of the main soul left... they might have more likely joined with the largest piece of him, which would be the first Horcrux made. I don't know how long ago that was, depending on his age at the time, that soul piece would be the strongest part of him."_** He said, thinking out loud.

His supervisor nodded thoughtfully before he grimaced. _**"Yes, that is possible, too. Unfortunately, there is no precedence for this kind of situation. Nobody has ever been crazy enough to tear his own soul into so many pieces."**_ He said with a sigh. **_"Why don't you go take care of the Inferi cave, and come back later. Your partner for the job is waiting in the main Hall... I can take this to the King, he will want to know about this so we can prepare for the possibility of a younger and saner Dark Lord."_** He handed Bill the file he was carrying. It contained every piece of information Kreature the House-elf had given Head-elf Mattie, who had then shared everything _he'd_ been told with Cassiopeia Black. Hopefully, it would be enough for Bill to find it and come out safe.

They were lucky Bill was already here, otherwise they would have had to go through files and summon somebody from Egypt. None of the Curse-Breakers stationed here in Britain had the experience needed for such a large pocket of Inferi, especially with the body retrieval on top of it. The training, sure. The experience, no.

Bill grimaced at the reminder of his new job, and the thought of the Dark Lord returning and being able to think and plan clearly. He sighed as he left, a cave full of Inferi, and he couldn't even light any of them up. Stupid body retrieval... he made a mental note that this was one story about his job that he was _never_ telling his mother. She would _not_ be happy.

* * *

Harry laughed while he raced away from Fred and George on their brooms. The past few weeks since the courthouse attack had been quiet, surprisingly. Well, except for the newspaper campaign starting against Dumbledore, which he was told was going pretty well. So far there had been two articles, he had no idea what was being written though, since he banned the _Daily Prophet_ from the castle just after the first one, and before any of the students got a chance to read it. He went so far as to have all the owls coming in searched, and the newspapers they carried taken. (The flock of owls looked a little empty without all those owls bringing the newspaper...) A series of wards had been put up, he was told it acted similar to the Thief's Downfall in Gringotts, and washed away any and all concealing enchantments. So, the newspapers couldn't be hidden as something else.

The students would figure out ways around it eventually, but for now they had no idea what was going on in the outside world. They'd written their parents to complain, though. And the parents wouldn't be happy that they were paying for a subscription and their children weren't even getting it because of the Headmaster, so he knew the paper ban wouldn't last much longer. And, even if the Headmaster managed to keep the students from telling their parents about it, he was sure Severus would drop an 'anonymous' tip to somebody eventually. Harry was told the articles were beginning to do their job, though. People were starting to question him. Well, except for his most die-hard sycophants. According to the letter from Barchoke, they were trying to shut down the articles and figure out who was having them printed. While at the same time trying to excuse Dumbledore's actions.

Personally, Harry thought that his actions in banning the paper just made him look even more guilty, because it more or less confirmed everything the paper was saying. Now, if he'd tried to play it off like Lockhart was doing with the book recall, then he might have more of a shot at salvaging something and turning it around on his accusers.

Not that Harry cared about that at the moment, he was too busy enjoying the mornings practice. Wood was in a surprisingly good mood today, he didn't even yell at his Beaters as they messed around, challenging the other team members to races, and eventually starting a game of tag in the air. Or maybe he actually saw their antics as a training strategy. Because the game of tag they currently had going on was testing their maneuverability to its limits.

Unfortunately, at the moment Fred was It, but apparently when one of them was It, they were both It. Which was very annoying seeing as how Katie almost got tagged when she was hovering next to George, watching Fred chase Alicia, and barely got out of the way in time after George lunged in her direction to tag her. They quickly learned that both Twins needed to be avoided.

Harry thought that having their abilities unblocked gave them an unfair advantage in this game. On the other hand, it made their teamwork as Beaters even better than it was before. If that was even possible. He looked down when he heard barking, and laughed when he realized that Maddie was trying to chase the people in the sky. Since it was Saturday, he was allowed to have her here, as long as she wasn't a disruption. Wood had just given her a strange look before he played with her ears for a bit and told Harry not to let her distract him during practice.

All those in the Tower had come to love her, she was a little bundle of energy, and loved bouncing around the Common Room whenever Harry was in there, especially when they'd been able to take the bandages off. She loved the attention. She also couldn't seem to understand what was happening right now, why her human was up in the air, and not on the ground where he belonged. He'd pay her some extra attention later to make up for the confusion he was causing, and maybe make use of the dog treats Mipsy had provided when Maddie was dropped off for the day, along with a book 'Dog Training for Dummies'. Along with a chest of memories that she'd put inside the Library compartment of his trunk next to the cabinet he'd asked her to put in for the Family Pensieve. She'd found it hidden in the main study of Shire Abbey. She said the memories were of famous dog trainers, kind of like the wizarding version of training videos.

First though, after practice, he was going to head up to the Room of Requirement and make sure everything there was ready, before he was going to let the Weasley's and Neville inside, along with a few Heirs from the Potter Alliance and the rest of those that wanted to celebrate. And then, he would go hunt down Hermione (and more than likely find her in the library). He had not been happy to learn that her birthday had been the week before, and she hadn't told anyone about it.

He'd had to borrow some owl order catalogues off some of his Housemates to find something that would be suitable, but in the end he ended up just writing to Jack at the trunk store. He included written permission to take payment out of his personal vault (along with a vague threat that the money better be taken out, he would know if it didn't happen), and requested a Library trunk similar to his, but he requested lighter woods and different overall color scheme, although he requested the same protections that was on his (since Jack wasn't there to set the protections to her magic signature, he had it set up so they would lock onto the first person to push their magic into the lock on the clasp). Similar to the Greenhouse he ordered for Neville's birthday.

Although, hers was charmed to be able to shrink down to the size of a bracelet charm. And there was a small rune carved into the trunk lid, with the corresponding rune on a chain link of the bracelet he got her, so the two would attach and she could wear her personal library like a bracelet.

(Jack was extremely happy that Harry had stepped in his shop for a new trunk, because Harry had all kinds of ideas that he could use to expand his business... He also said it was a good challenge for his skills, trying to make the ideas Harry was coming up with a reality. He'd already visited the patent office and started the paperwork to patent the ideas under Harry's name as the one to come up with it, and himself as the one to actually create it.)

Oh, and a new school bag. One like his, hers was starting to look a little ragged from all the books she was always carrying.

He'd also sent an order to Honeydukes for a few things he thought she might like to try, like sugar-quills and things, and a couple of books he thought she would find helpful. Madam Longbottom had recommended them to her, but she hadn't been able to get them yet. For some reason, they weren't even in the school library. So there was that. It might be a little overboard for her birthday, but he missed the last one, and he wanted to do something nice for his friends.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard his name being called, and darted out of the way just before Angelina's hand swiped where he'd been a second before. Grinning, he took off, with the Chaser right behind him. He leaned over his broom handle lead her on a chase, taunting and teasing the whole way. He'd wait until she was within touching distance, then suddenly dart just out of reach again. He would have feared she would be mad at him for it, but he could hear her laughter, along with the encouraging calls of his team.

He laughed when he heard Alicia call that he better not let her catch him, because the rest of them wanted a chance of escape. A chance they weren't going to get with him being It, apparently.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione shaking her head fondly before she said something to Ron and left. Probably to go to the library, or the Common Room to study a book Augusta sent her for her birthday the week before. She only knew because Hermione's parents mentioned it, and that was how Harry found out, he'd asked her where the book came from, because he knew they didn't sell those in Flourish and Blotts.

The chase with Angelina stopped when Oliver called, "Hey guys, I'm releasing the Snitch! Harry, your job is to catch it, while the rest of us try to catch you!"

Harry audibly groaned when he finished, while the others looked intrigued. And the Twins looked mischievous. Harry really did not want to know what those two had planned right now. However, once the Snitch was released, Harry took off again. Now having to avoid all six of his teammates. He waiting for a minute before he started looking for the Snitch though, to give it time to 'hide'. "Wood, one of these days I'm going to wrap you in bacon and lock you in a small room with Hedwig!" He yelled at the captain. A nervous laugh was his only answer.

He looked around when he heard loud laughter, and narrowed his eyes when he spotted his roommates. Dodging Katie, he took off towards them, pulling up at right in front of them and zooming off in the other direction seconds before he would have hit them. He enjoyed the nervous fear on their faces, and the cursing he heard behind him from Alicia, who had followed when he dive-bombed the four boys and was now having to swerve wildly to brake and keep from crashing into them. Oliver exclaimed happily over her evasion, happy that she had obviously been working hard to improve her evasion tactics.

A few minutes later, Harry had yet to be caught by the rest of the team, and he'd seen the Snitch once. Although Fred and George blocked him before he could do much of anything about it.

* * *

Severus sat back and looked at the letter on the table in front of him warily.

Remus Lupin, after so many years of absence, was demanding a meeting with him, demanding for him to come with an explanation for why Sirius Black was attacked outside a Muggle courthouse and not in Azkaban. And, most of all, demanding to know why Harry was with him when he was attacked. Why Harry had anything to do with the traitor, and why Severus was allowing it!

To be honest, he was surprised Remus came to him, and not to Dumbledore, or even Minerva. Although, he supposed that despite everything Dumbledore had 'done for him', he never did quite trust the old man as much as some thought he did. Oh, not to say he wasn't grateful for Dumbledore letting him come to school. But he never quite _trusted_ him.

After a few moments of thought, he pulled a piece of parchment and a fountain pen (thank you, Harry, for giving him these as a late birthday present... Harry had not been too happy to hear that he'd missed Severus' birthday. No matter that his birthday was back in January and it was already August when he found out... this pen was so much nicer to use, especially when he charmed the ink tube to be self-refilling) to write a letter. While he wrote, he summoned Lola and instructed her to fetch _Daily Prophets_ from the end of the summer about Sirius and Harry, as well as his copy of James and Lily's wills. He would make another copy of them and send them along as well. It was clear, the only people who knew about the switch all those years ago were the Potters, Pettigrew, Sirius, and Dumbledore.

Not even he and Remus knew.

 _Remus,_

 _First, I am enclosing copies of the relevant_ Daily Prophet's, _they are surprisingly accurate and truth-full in this instance. I have also enclosed a copy of James and Lily's wills._

 _Second..._ where have you been all these years, you worthless fleabag?! _I have been searching for you, the Goblins have been searching for you, for_ years. _When I get my hands on you, you are going to wish you'd never been born. I am going to test all my experiments on you instead of myself, how could you just leave Harry behind like that?! And don't think that I'm the only one you have to answer to, Sirius is not happy either! The two of us at least have an excuse for not knowing where Harry was or how to find him, for not even contacting him, what's yours?_

 _... I can meet you this next Saturday in the_ Three Broomsticks _at noon to discuss things._

 _Have your own questions ready._

 _Not happy with you,_

 _Severus_

He leaned back and sighed. Maybe he should have saved the rant for when they were in person...? No need to scare him off, _again,_ after all.

...Nah. He needs to know that he shouldn't have just taken off. Not without Harry. He was a werewolf, he could have probably sniffed Harry out. Especially since he'd claimed Harry as his Cub. That formed a bond, almost similar to and as strong as a parent/child bond.

Instead he just took off when Harry needed him most.

So, yes. He and Sirius were going to be very thorough in making their displeasure known. And making sure he knew better than doing it again.

* * *

Harry was excited when he led Hermione up to the Room of Requirement. Quidditch practice had ended a half hour ago, the Room was set, and everyone was cleaned up from practice and inside waiting for the guest of honor. When he informed people that Hermione's birthday was a week ago, they had all (like him) scrambled to buy or make something that would be acceptable for the thirteenth birthday present for a young witch.

According to Ron and Neville, jewelry was usually a traditional gift for a witches thirteenth birthday, because, not only was thirteen a magically powerful number, it was the year you became a teenager. They said something about it signifying that this year was a transition year between their childhood and truly starting to grow up. Since the teenage years was usually when the body started changing or something like that. Apparently, there was something about getting good jewelry that showed a girl was growing up. He didn't know, he just left them to it. Luckily, they told him that what he had in mind was fine, (especially since the trunk could be shrunk and attached to a bracelet, thus fulfilling tradition) because he had no idea what to even look for when it came to jewelry. If she had her ears pierced, then he might have just gotten a simple sapphire stud earring or something.

(Although, he was also told that it was traditional for a witch to get their ears pierced at age twelve. Neville's grandmother had written to tell him that she would be picking Hermione up and going with her and her parents for the occasion in a few weeks. Get them pierced at age twelve, get loaded down with earrings at age thirteen... fitting.)

Maybe for Christmas. For now, he was sure that she would like her library trunk and the books he already had placed inside it. The candy from Honeydukes he had ordered were sitting on the desk inside as well, while the books were sitting on a shelf close to the door, where she would see them first thing. The bag was hanging on the desk chair, already filled with parchment and everything.

He was actually a little nervous for her reaction.

"Harry, what is going on now?" Hermione asked, laughing a little bit. She had actually calmed down a lot since the talk with Severus. To the point where, when he dragged her away from her homework to come up here, she hadn't protested too much this time.

"Just wait!" He said with a smile. Finally, they reached the Room and he grinned before pushing the door open and pushing her a little to get her inside.

"Happy birthday!" Was the happy chorus of Neville, the Weasleys, Quidditch team, Dean, Seamus and two Slytherins; Daphne Greengrass and Terrance Higgs. There were some Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws added to the group as well. Harry figured that if they were supposed to be in a political alliance, then they better get used to being around his friends. What better way to do that than to throw one of his best friends a birthday party?

And, of course, Maddie had to add her own chorus to the cheerful greeting. She was running around everyone's feet barking happily. Harry laughed and scooped her up.

"Now, I know its a week late, but I didn't find out when your birthday was until yesterday." Harry said with a slight pout when she turned incredulous eyes on him. She stared for a moment, before a small smile started that grew into a wide, beaming smile that lit the room up. She looked around the room and gasped. The Room had been transformed into a small, seaside cottage. Outside the door, she could see a white beach, perfect for going for a swim later on.

Her attention was caught by a clearing throat behind her, and when she turned around, her eyes widened further when she saw Harry coming over balancing a big, two-tier birthday cake in his hands. He set it up on the table that appeared as soon as he wanted one there. She gaped even more when she saw the design on it. It had a library theme on it, tiny bookshelf figurines decorated the top, along with the usual 'Happy Birthday Hermione' written across the top. "Thank you." She said softly, looking around at everybody. They just grinned.

Harry's grin was the biggest. "I figured we could eat first, and then dive into presents before going to play on the beach." He said, gesturing towards the table where the presents were piled up. Harry was the only one who figured she could count on a lot of books and jewelry for this birthday. Jewelry according to tradition while they also tried for a more personal gift as well, which was where the book would come in. Luckily, however, when they got together the night before, he asked them to let everyone else know if they planned on a book, and what book, so she didn't end up getting five of the same book. That was just bad all around.

He'd seen it happen to Dudley once, it had not been pretty.

Her eyes widened again when she saw the presents, "You didn't have to..." She said, looking around.

"We wanted to." Percy said, shrugging before he came forward and waved his wand to light the candles. "Now, Harry has told us about the Muggle tradition of making a wish as you blow out the candles, so," He gestured towards the candles and stepped back. She grinned again and came forward to blow out the candles, wishing that everything would work out and all her friends would make it out in one piece. Once the candles were out, a small feast was laid out before them, surrounding the cake.

There was steak, green beans, potatoes, some chicken, carrots, dinner rolls, and corn. Steak and kidney pie, shepherds pie, ham. There was some fruit, too. Various melons, apples, blueberries, and strawberries. All perfectly ripe. It was a lot of food. Among the plates were small dishes of butter and multiple salt and pepper shakers, all in the shape of either a book or seashell. Everything looked and smelled amazing.

For an extra treat, he even managed to get ahold of some Coke, which he had been told was Hermione's favorite drink.

"Did you make all this?" She asked Harry, suspiciously. If he did, then he must not have gotten any sleep the night before. There was no way he'd made it this morning, he'd been at Quidditch practice until half an hour ago.

He smiled guiltily and shrugged. "I couldn't sleep last night. Thank goodness for Mipsy. She helped me spell it so it would all stay fresh and ready to eat. Elf magic is much better at that than wizards magic is, that's for sure." He said conversationally as he started dishing up food and passing it out to people around him, Hermione naturally getting the first plate. She just smiled and shook her head fondly.

Daphne took a few bites and almost moaned in bliss. Only her Pureblood upbringing and Slytherin mask saved her from the action. "This is very good, Potter." She said in surprise, starting to eat more readily as opposed to her hesitant first bite. He just grinned, pleased when everyone else echoed the sentiment. It was nice to get compliments for his hard work now, as opposed to when he was forced to cook for the Dursleys and they just scarfed it down after deeming it 'barely passable'. However, when he cooked for Mrs. Figg that one time, she declared it the best thing she had ever eaten, and made sure to tell him not to listen to his relatives.

Everyone laughed when Hedwig winged her way into the room and Harry directed her attention to the large plate set aside loaded with meat, especially bacon, and fruit. He reminded her not to eat all of their food. They would like to eat it, too. And for Merlin's sake to stay out of the cake! Everyone laughed harder when they saw the Snowy Owl eye the cake with clear desire. Harry shook his head and cast a quick ward around the cake to keep the greedy owl out of it, before he sat down beside her at the table and started on his own food while laughing and talking with everyone else as the feast was slowly demolished. With many compliments to the chef, of course.

(When the wary Purebloods tried the Coke, they were amazed to find how much they liked it and quickly asked the Muggle-raised in the room where they could get more.)

"I hope you don't mind some of the others," Harry murmured in Hermione's ear. "They're the Heirs of the Potter Alliance, and I need to start interacting with them more, getting to know them. I figured that, if they're going to be around me more, then they better start getting used to being around my best friends more. And a party was a good way to break the ice." He was somewhat nervous about her response.

She smiled and shook her head. "I don't mind. Besides, it means more presents." She said mischievously, casting a longing glance towards the table covered in said presents.

Harry laughed when he saw her look. "We can start on those after we at least cut and pass out the cake. But definitely before we go swimming, I know we have drying charms, but..." He shrugged. Besides, he happened to know that Hannah Abbot had gotten Hermione a new swimsuit after he wrote to Emma Granger for ideas and was informed that she needed a new one. He'd mentioned it offhand during the planning session the night before and Hannah had pounced on the idea.

Once the food was finally devoured, Harry cleared his throat and steered Hermione towards the cake before pressing the knife into her hand. In his opinion, the birthday girl should get to cut her own cake. "Oh!" He exclaimed, honestly surprised. "I just remembered, I made ice-cream, too." He said sheepishly when everyone looked at him confused. "Mipsy!" He called quickly. "The ice-cream, it should be on the counter." Her eyes widened and a moment later, the ice-cream appeared on the table beside the cake.

Hermione just shook her head fondly at the bowls of simple vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice-cream. Complete with homemade whipped topping and chocolate sauce on the side. All of it perfectly charmed so it wouldn't melt and would be at the right consistency. Of course everything here would be made by Harry's own two hands. Of course it would be.

"Is there anything you _can't_ make?" She asked, fondly amused.

He tilted his head to the side. "Hm... I've never tried sushi before..." He mused, thinking about it while he started to dish up ice-cream on plates and setting it out for people to grab what they wanted before going for the cake. Somehow, Hermione was not surprised to see that the cake itself was split between chocolate and vanilla, on both tiers.

Everyone just stared at Harry like he grew a second head. He just shrugged. It wasn't his fault he'd been in charge of cooking at the Dursleys since he was four, or that they would sometimes ask for the most random things to eat just to trip him up and punish him. So, he had to get good at making everything.

Neville clapped him on the shoulder and shook his head. "Don't ever change, Harry. Don't ever change." Before he grabbed a plate of strawberry and got in line for the cake after practically drowning his ice-cream in chocolate sauce and whipped cream. It didn't take long for Percy to come over with an extra spatula and start helping Hermione with passing out the cake. Harry just blinked after him, wondering where that came from.

Once the cake had been demolished, with even more compliments, the Twins eagerly pulled Hermione towards the mountain of presents just for her. "Here! Open ours first." They said in unison, plucking theirs off the top of the pile and handing it over.

She looked at it warily. "Is it safe?" She asked, already moving to open it.

A look of mock outrage spread across the Twins faces. "Why, Georgie, it's like she doesn't trust us." Fred said, 'angrily'.

"I know, I don't what we did to deserve this kind of treatment, I don't." George said, sniffing in disdain. Everybody chuckled at the act.

"Gee, I wonder." Hermione said, deadpan, as she opened the box.

The Twins both flashed a quick, genuine smile. "Seriously, though. We don't mess with presents. Just for future reference." Fred said, seriously. The rest of his siblings nodded in agreement. It was true. In all the years since the Twins learned how to say the word 'present', they never once pranked a present they were giving. They took giving and receiving presents very seriously.

Hermione smiled at them briefly, then gasped when she looked down and saw what was inside. She pulled it out, causing everyone else to gasp, as well. It was a delicate choker necklace, made of silver links with a single sapphire where it would rest against the base of her throat. "It's beautiful. Thank you." She said, looking at them. She looked back into the box to make sure she didn't miss anything and pulled out the matching pair of earrings. "You do know my ears aren't pierced, right?" She asked, holding up the earrings with a glint in her eyes.

They shrugged. "You have them if you do get them pierced." They said, together. They already knew she'd be going in a few weeks to get them. They would have gotten her separate gifts, but they'd had to pool their allowances to get her that, and used most of it up in the process. They'd seen it in the catalogue and just knew it was perfect, so... They would probably have to end up borrowing some money from Percy for Hogsmeade weekends. It was worth it though, to see how much she enjoyed the gift.

Ron punched Fred on the shoulder while Ginny punched George. "Way to set the bar high, you two." He said, joking. He glanced at Ginny, concerned with how pale she'd gotten in the almost month they'd been at school already, but decided to ask Percy about it later.

The rest of the presents more or less followed that pattern. Most, especially the Purebloods, gave jewelry of some kind. Bracelets, earrings, necklaces (some more expensive than others), one very nice wristwatch delicately made out of solid gold with a silver face, gold hands, and twelve diamonds shaped like Roman Numerals around the face. Hermione took one look at the card of authenticity that came with it and swore that she was keeping it locked up when it wasn't on her wrist for special occasions. Luckily, in the same box was a much less fancy and expensive watch that she could wear everyday, the most expensive part about it was the silver face. She just gave Daphne Greengrass a wide-eyed look and stammered her thanks.

Daphne shrugged. "Everyone should have at least one nice watch for special occasions while also having one for everyday use." She said. She knew that men would have pocket watches, but men received their watch when they turned seventeen. Otherwise, she would have ordered one for Harry as a late birthday present. That, and gifting him with a watch was going to be Lord Black's job, as his family.

Once everyone got over the shock from the watch, Terrence cleared his throat and fished his own gift out of the steadily diminishing pile. "On that note, I think it best if you open mine next." He said, glancing at the watch. His present was quite a bit bigger than the others, which was mostly jewelry. Although his wasn't the biggest. At the very bottom of the pile was Harry's, it was the biggest of the lot.

Once Hermione opened it, everyone gave a sound of appreciation, and Hermione flashed a thankful smile. It was a tallish jewelry box that would stay on the ground. Drawers for bracelets, rings, and earrings, with a glass fronted compartment with a spinning, chandelier-type thing at the top for the necklaces. Naturally, it was charmed to hold as much as she put in it without running out of space. "Here, push your magic into here..." He said, pointing at the spot on it where there was a small keyhole. She did as told, and the whole thing glowed for a second before those that were sensitive to magic could feel the protective spells and wards lock onto her signature. "There, now nobody can get in it but you." Hermione looked thankful and carefully stowed her new watch away in a drawer, along with all the rest of her new jewelry, she would sort through it later.

"Good thinking." Percy muttered to Terrance, who just shrugged. Most Pureblood witches would already receive a jewelry box at least a month in advance of their birthday, in anticipation of receiving almost nothing but jewelry _on_ their birthday. Since Hermione was Muggleborn, he hadn't been sure how prepared she would be for this, despite her being a ward of House Longbottom now. Especially since at the time Madam Longbottom should have gotten the box, she hadn't even met Hermione yet, let alone become her Guardian.

Of course, jewelry wasn't the only thing she got. She got plenty of books, and some clothes. All the girls made sure to let her know how beautiful they found the new swimsuit Hannah got her. She even got a wand-holster for her wrist, and a gift voucher for a pet at the Magical Menagerie. Susan said she would have just gotten her a cat, but she wasn't sure if that was what Hermione would have wanted, or if Hermione's parents would appreciate it, and she found it better if the owner got a chance to pick out their own pet. Harry just smiled and scratched Hedwig underneath her wings. He was in complete agreement with that.

Neville got her a beautiful set of dress-robes, appropriate for her age while also conveying that she was growing up. They weren't the childishly girlish robes that one would find children wearing, while they also weren't as sophisticated like a Lady's would be. They were elegant in their own right, though. They were a pale, purplish pink with darker accents around the trimming and modestly cut. He also got her a set of hair-pins with the House Longbottom crest on it. Ron's gift went along with Neville's, being a jewelry set that matched the robes perfectly. From the look of surprise on the boys faces, they hadn't actually planned that.

There was one present that nobody seemed to be taking credit for, but Harry seemed to know what it was, because he had a small, secretive smile on his face. She opened it to find a portable potions kit along with a book comparing opinions on why following recipes was important versus why sometimes it was important to go more with your instinct. She knew who it was from. She flushed when she realized he must have heard her the other day, she'd been chewing Harry out a little when he stopped following the recipe and started doing something else, and somehow still ended up with a better potion than everyone else in the class. She'd been even more unhappy when she saw his textbook becoming covered in notes about when the recipe could be discarded and other methods of carrying out a step than what the book said.

When Harry saw the book, though, he scowled. He'd told Severus to leave it after the man questioned him on the argument he'd overheard between Harry and Hermione after Potions one day.

Finally, Harry's was the last one left. He licked his lips nervously as he watched Hermione start to unwrap it. There were a few gasps when they saw the trunk, although they were somewhat confused when they saw the bracelet chain attached to the lid. When Hermione turned wide eyes on him, he shrugged. "It's not an actual trunk, it's your own personal, portable library. Here..." And he quickly showed her what the bracelet chain was for, and had her lock the protections onto her magical signature, like Terrance had her do for the jewelry box.

She looked at the pile of presents, and then looked at the party guests and thanked everyone again for coming out and for all the presents. Some of which were _very_ expensive... but what did she expect from a bunch of rich Purebloods?

After the girls spent some more time admiring the jewelry and clothes Hermione got, Harry clapped his hands. "I don't know about you ladies, but that beach looks beautiful, and the water looks great." He said, quirking a grin. Thank goodness Severus had taken a day and taught him how to swim during the month at the Longbottoms. "Ladies can change through there," He pointed at a door off to the side. "While guys, over there." He said, pointing and giving them all a look that made it clear they better _stay_ over there.

Once everyone was finally 'outside', playing in the water, a corner of the room shimmered back into view, revealing a small desk covered in parchmentwork and student's essays, already marked up in red ink. Behind the desk, was one Severus Snape. He got up and moved over towards the doorway, so he could discreetly watch the students playing in the water. Mostly though, he was watching his godson playing in the water. Severus rarely saw him this carefree...

He was quite impressed with how quickly Harry rallied everyone here to throw a party, and he was quite impressed with how they managed to get those gifts on such short notice. Harry only told them about the party the day before... He was also proud of Harry for doing this.

All his grading was finished as far as essays were concerned, although he did have some potions to test and grade once he got back to the lab. He could do them later, they didn't take long. For now, he would continue supervising his godson and his friends.

* * *

 **Assassin Caught!**

 **Interrogation Yields Interesting Results**

 _My dear readers, I have recently come upon some disturbing news._

 _As I have already reported, the one who attacked Lord Sirius Black and Heir Harry Potter-Black outside the Muggle Courthouse where the Mixed Courts operate out of, was caught a few days later trying to sneak into Lord Blacks hospital room. We can count ourselves lucky that Lord Black was no longer there, having been transferred back to Gringotts Infirmary earlier that day. The man has since been held in the Dungeons beneath the bank, and I have recently been given access to a small piece of the interrogation records from his initial questioning._

 _The man, one Michael O'Connell, was a Hit-Wizard during the war against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, until he was fired without pension for poor conduct and was suspected of accepting bribes from suspects._

 _The one who filed the paperwork resulting in his termination? One Sirius Orion Black._

 _Since then, he has been responsible for the completion of several hired hits. Some of which, it is suspected were put out and paid for by the Ministry, however information on that is still unknown and being investigated. So, when he was contacted about taking Lord Black out, he didn't hesitate._

 _Due to the investigation, I cannot reveal who it was that hired him, but I can tell you that this is not the first time this individual has hired him. Several of the marks this individual hired him for include prominent members of our Government; several Lords and Lady's of the Wizengamot and other important Ministry workers._

 _Including, two notable deaths. At the time, it was determined that they died from a sudden onset of Dragon Pox, which they quickly succumbed to due to old age. Due to the evidence of the disease, it was not looked into any further, mostly due to the fact that quarantine and cleansing procedure's had to be put into place quickly to prevent the disease from spreading from the Potter Manor, now being renamed back to its original name, Shire Abbey._

 _That's right, for those who remember the news reports at the time, I am talking about the late Lord and Lady Charlus and Dorea Potter nee Black._

 _From the interrogation reports, Mr. O'Connell found the couple in their manor, in perfect health and able to put up a good fight despite old age and peaceful retirements, proving why Charlus Potter was one of the most feared and decorated Aurors and war heroes of his time, (for more information about Lord Potter's actions during the war against Grindlewald, see page 3) before his retirement from the force at the death of his father, the Lord Potter before him. Lady Potter is also reported to have proven her Black lineage during the fight as well. In the end however, age caught up and they were both beaten and killed by O'Connell, who was paid extra by his employer to make it look like they died of Dragon Pox._

 _He claims that he was able to erect wards over the property before attacking, so as to keep the family House-elves out, and keep them from interfering. To this end, Gringotts is investigating and is offering the services of the Gringotts Ward-Masters for a discounted price to erect wards being designed to counter the one used against Lord and Lady Potter._

 _The deaths of Charlus and Dorea Potter was a sad day for the wizarding community, especially when not six years later, we were faced with the deaths of James and Lily Potter on the night of Halloween 1981. For further information on the accomplishments of the Potters, see page 2._

 _The full extent of his targets is still being investigated, and names are still being given. Once I am given the list of O'Connell's victims, I will be approaching the families privately, along with a DMLE representative. It will be their choice whether or not the name of their family member is published. I am not going to be putting names out there and completely blindside those who may or may still be grieving. (I had special permission to publish the information about Charlus and Dorea Potter.)_

 _Some of the names of his victims that we have so far been given are also prominent figures in foreign nations, and the respective governments are being contacted, as well. We ask for privacy and consideration for the families of O'Connell's victims._

 _I will continue to stay informed of the situation, and as such, keep the public informed. However, I want to remind the public that not all information will come immediately, due to the nature of the investigation and who is involved. The DMLE asks for patience._

 _Justice will be served._

Special correspondent to the DMLE,

Amy Johnson

Dumbledore sat in his office and glared at the article and started drafting a letter to another, ah... associate, of his. This one didn't yield results that were as... permanently damaging to the target, but it would suit his purposes. Time to shut this reporter up. He also needed to find out just what they'd discovered in their investigations so he would know how to proceed. Who to Obliviate, what records to see vanish, who's memory he needed to modify... who he could pay off...

This associate was good at gathering information. He would go himself, but he was currently banned from the Ministry. And, if he was going to give the illusion of obedience, he needed to stay here and lay low. Wait for everything to die down. A few well placed Obliviates here, some gold there, a vault drained here and there... and everyone would forget this past month even happened.


	29. Chapter 29

**_Gobbledygook_**

Here is the current poll for the Muggleborns name:

Morgan (or Morganna)- 3

Allegra (Italian for Joyous)- 3

Rosetta- 2

Lydia- 2

Lydia Rose

* * *

Dumbledore sat in his office, thinking.

He had to get the Potter boy back under control somehow. The question was, how to do it. Now that his godfather was back in the picture, and no doubt suspicious of him since he had no doubt that some of his spell work was discovered (although he was confident that they had no idea who cast it, they would probably assume that vile woman Walburga Black cast it), he couldn't do anything openly.

He had the boy dosed with loyalty and other controlling potions, and he'd hit the boy with more spells, just to be safe. So, he was good there... but the boy being back with Black would severely limit how much contact he could have with him, how much of an eye he could keep on things. Especially since, according to the medical records his man had managed to steal, Black should be waking up soon.

He would have to find another way of keeping an eye out... one that would still let him keep up the 'obedient' image with the Board. They should forget everything soon enough, his man was already working on it, but he seemed to have hit a bit of a snag in catching them in memory and behavioral modifiers. He would sort it out soon enough.

That's when it hit him.

Of course, the Weasleys!

Potter had been seen hanging out with all of the Weasley children, even young Ginevra despite her behavior. He really hoped she shaped up soon. If he was going to push the two of them together, then the last thing he wanted was her attitude towards him pushing him away. He couldn't get a marriage contract between the two, so he was just going to have to force them together however he could. He really wished that Gringotts didn't run tests to ensure that both parties of a marriage contract signing were signing under their own free will and neither one was being forced through magical means. They even used Veritaserum to ensure that neither party was forcing the other through non-magical means, like blackmail.

It had happened in the past. A poorer family wanted to marry into a rich family so they wouldn't be poor anymore, so they blackmailed or used magic and potions to force the richer party into a marriage contract between the two, one that benefited them the most. The children got married, and the poorer family systematically stole everything the rich family owned through their child.

The Goblins went to great lengths to ensure that didn't happen anymore.

And, when it came to people who were the last of their lines, like Potter, they ran extensive tests to check for love potions and the like. Which meant that, unless he could get another Goblin to replace the last one, he couldn't go that route either. Well, there were actually several options to go that route, but the potions he needed were _extremely_ rare. Not to mention, they were easily the most controlled substances in the entire world, not just magical UK. Potions like those being illegal were one thing the rest of the world and the UK actually agreed on _._ Otherwise, the ingredients to make it were so rare... not even Potions Masters like Severus would be able to get ahold of them without much difficulty. And he was among the top five Masters in the world.

For one thing, it required powdered basilisk skin, and phoenix tears. Well, the tears were in easy reach, but the basilisk... there hadn't been one seen in over fifty years. If he could just find and get into the blasted Chamber, he didn't think that would be a problem anymore either, but the fact remained. There hadn't been one seen in over fifty years, and there hadn't been one harvested in 200.

And then, even after getting the ingredients, there were very few Masters with the skill to actually brew it. It was highly complicated, required almost constant supervision for the two months it took to brew. It was certainly nothing he would be able to brew himself, _if_ he could get ahold of the ingredients. Well, he supposed that if he did get ahold of the ingredients, he could always force Severus. He would have to Obliviate the man afterwards of course, but...

Oh, but his mind was wandering. The Weasleys, yes...

Perhaps it was time to pay Molly a visit. He got up to do just that when the Wizengamot ring on his finger suddenly warmed, causing him to look down at it in surprise.

Who on earth was calling an emergency meeting right now?

* * *

Severus sat down in his seat with a sigh. He wished they hadn't called this session when they did, he had a potion brewing and he really couldn't be gone too long... the ingredients for it weren't cheap, and it was rather delicate. Luckily he had just reached the stage where it needed to simmer for five hours before adding more ingredients. As long as he was back by the five hour mark, he would be fine. Well, he supposed that Poppy knew he was brewing and she did have a Secondary Potions Mastery, but... still.

He looked up when Daniel Greengrass stopped beside his chair and gracefully sat on the edge of a conjured seat. "How's Harry doing?" Was the first thing out of his mouth.

Severus' lip quirked. "He's good. He should be at Quidditch practice right now, or soon anyway."

"Ah, yes. Daphne told me in her letters that the Gryffindor team is practicing an... what did she say... ah, an unholy amount of time that not even Merlin could ever dream of. She said the captain was insane." He said, amused. Severus just smirked.

"Minerva had to forbid him from having his team out there all day every day. The boy seems to be under the impression that they are at school to play Quidditch, not learn magic. She had to force him to give his team at least two nights a week of no Quidditch so they can get homework done and have some time to themselves and their friends." Severus explained, exasperated. Just thinking about it made him question Minerva's sanity in making the boy captain. But, the boy was the most senior member of the team, he was certainly the most Quidditch-crazed, that was for sure...

Daniel huffed a laugh. "It almost makes me glad that Flint boy didn't allow girls on the team... I didn't have to worry about my girls playing dangerous games like Quidditch." He eyed Severus. "I hear the new team is made and has already started practice." And, was he glad his daughter decided to wait another year before trying out. Her playing Quidditch was going to give him premature grey hairs, that was for sure. Just the thought of it made him think his head should already be white.

"Yes, Mr. Higgs is determined to outdo Mr. Wood in time spent on the Pitch. There have been complaints from the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw teams that they can't get any practice time in themselves." He knew the boy just wanted to get the new team up to speed so they could at least make a good showing and didn't embarrass themselves too badly at the first game. He wasn't holding out hope for a win, not against Gryffindor. Who hadn't needed to replace a single person this year, and had been feared for their teamwork the year before.

He wasn't even holding out hope on winning the others, not when his team was brand-new and still so inexperienced. Next year, he would be going more for the win and less for getting his team up to scratch. They were all good players... they just didn't have any experience playing together, or in a game with an audience larger than their family at their manors.

Daniel shook his head and went to say something else, but the gong went off, calling all members and Heirs to their seats. Severus was pleased to see Bill and Charlie Weasley up there, sitting in the very back corner where they wouldn't be easily seen. Severus himself had decided to give his proxy this session off, and sit in himself. Despite his potion that he had brewing.

"I call this emergency session on this date, 22 of September, 1992, to order." Dumbledore said, letting out a bang from his wand. He looked disgruntled, like he always did when somebody else called a session that wasn't him. He'd tried to get the policy changed so that only he could call a session, that was one of the few he'd been unable to implement. "Lord Nott, you have the floor." He said, identifying the one that called the session.

"Thank you, Chief Warlock." The elderly Nott practically sneered, but he still said it with an air of politeness. Severus watched carefully. This was the former Right-Hand to the Dark Lord, probably the only person in the world that the Dark Lord genuinely considered a friend and close confidant. Rumor had it that he was the first one to be Marked, after being the one to help design the Mark in the first place. He'd retired from active service as a Death Eater not long after Severus joined, for reasons known only to him and the Dark Lord himself. He was the only one to do so, once the Mark was taken, the only way anybody was getting out of service was death. But, the Dark Lord allowed it for him, for some reason.

"I called us together, to discuss the... disturbing accusations being thrown about. In the papers, from the reports I am getting out of the DMLE, and from what was said at our last scheduled session." He said. "Also..." He pulled out the issue of the _Daily Prophet_ from the day before. "Punishment for one Michael O'Connell. The only names we have so far is that of Charlus and Dorea Potter, but there are implications in here that he is also responsible for the deaths of more of our closest friends and colleagues." He glanced at Amelia as he said it, silently asking if she could at least release those details to them.

Everyone shifted in their seats and murmured to each other. Amelia had a peeved look on her face when he mentioned getting reports from the DMLE. Severus knew she was keeping the investigation as quiet as possible until the end of it. That way, less chance of Dumbledore blindsiding them with something and getting away with it. She also looked accepting of filling them in on at least the names they had so far from Michael O'Connell's interrogation. He was still being held at Gringotts, less chance of his employer trying to break him out and help him escape. Plus, he was a former Hit-Wizard, he knew all the secrets of the Ministry Holding Cells that might help him escape.

Even though there had been changes made over the years since he was a Hit-Wizard, there was still the chance. And they weren't taking chances.

She stood slowly after thinking for a moment. "I can release the names of those Lords and Lady's who were targeted by him... but only if you agree to Oaths of Silence on the matter. It is, after all, still an ongoing investigation and not all families have been informed yet. I think everyone in this room has been..." She said slowly, glancing around and trying to remember which families she'd sent an Auror to already. "But there are also some that aren't here today that I know have not yet been informed privately." She looked around.

"This happened several weeks ago, what more investigating is there to do? Surely you have all the names by now?" Madam Longbottom asked in disbelief. She was relieved that she hadn't gotten one of those visits, although there were several in her family that she wouldn't be heartbroken over if she had gotten that visit. Especially after she found out about how her family had been treating her grandson. Most of them had been her own blood relations. She wished she hadn't listened to her brother, and that she let her husbands side of the family have more contact with her Neville.

"Yes. Unfortunately, every time we go in to question him some more about other matters or names he had already given us, he drops more names. We are also having to deal with ambassador's and representative's from other nations whose citizens he is responsible for killing. They all want a say in his punishment, or for him to be extradited to their countries to face punishment there. I have been working with both the Goblins and Director Crouch with negotiations with all the nations. At the moment... it looks more like we are going to hand him over to the ICW. Let the international courts deal with him, because there are so many other nations involved in this. He took out some highly influential and well-respected people in their countries, they are not going to be happy with just letting us handle this, even though he is a British citizen." She said, honestly tired.

"Who cares about them? It's not their decision, who cares about their opinion?" The Minister asked dismissively. Everyone turned to look at him in disbelief. Although a few looked like they agreed. Umbridge especially.

"Um, how about the fact that we have trade agreements with those nations, and they can set prices and taxes on all of our imported goods? Driving prices sky high and basically driving our economy into the ground if we alienate them like that? How about the fact that a couple of the more belligerent nations can and have threatened war over this? The fact that one of our citizens is responsible for the deaths of their most important political figures in the past two decades?" Amelia asked the Minister rhetorically. He just dismissed her.

"Just try him already. The public needs to see him being punished. We need to be seen doing our jobs." He said.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Minister. You have no authority in this matter. This is an Auror investigation. We will investigate all the facts, and we discuss with the right people. I think it is clear that _you_ are not the right people. No wonder relations with other countries is almost non-existent right now. This is not a time to 'be seen doing something'." She dismissed him just as he dismissed her. She noticed Crouch sneering at him from the side. Which made sense, Fudge did not make jobs in the Department of International Affairs easy. He blustered, but everyone dismissed him too, turning to more important matters.

"The Oaths of Silence on the matter?" She prompted.

* * *

Minerva hurried along the corridor, thankful that she had a free period right now, she could take care of this and wouldn't have to end up waiting. "Excuse me, might I borrow Mr. Potter?" She asked, stepping into Filius' room. "Bring your things." She instructed when Harry got up after glancing towards the half-goblin and getting the ok.

Harry blinked in surprise, and Hermione quickly whispered that he could borrow her notes. As if there was any doubt about that one happening anyway, whether he wanted it or not... He smiled at her in thanks anyway and went to join Minerva while everyone else whispered about what was going on. He knew rumors would be flying everywhere within minutes of this class period ending. If not seconds.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, worried, as soon as the door closed behind them.

She gave a small smile, relieving some of his worry, but not his confusion. Students didn't normally get pulled out of class unless something had happened. It was rarely anything good. Just last week, a first year was pulled out of class and was sent home to be with her father because he had a breakdown on the anniversary of her mother's death, they had him admitted to St. Mungoes for a couple of days due to the severity of it. She wasn't due to come back until next week. He only knew about it because apparently she lived near the Weasleys and grew up with Ginny. From what Fred and George said, losing Luna's mom had been hard on both of them, but they still had each other, and this was the first anniversary where they weren't together. So...

In that context, his breakdown was actually understandable. The first time being alone since his wife died...

"I got a message from Gringotts." She started, happy with her news. "He's awake." She'd seen how worried the boy was, even if he tried to hide it, tried to still be his usual happy self.

It took him a moment to process, but when he did, his face lit up and he jumped forward, pulling her into a happy hug. That she was very startled by, but after a moment he let go and started jumping around in excitement. After a moment of watching in amusement, she cleared her throat, making him suddenly realize what he was doing and stop, looking at her sheepishly with his face red from embarrassment.

"Can I go see him?" He asked hopefully, coming to stand in front of her again. She suppressed another grin and looked thoughtful.

"Well, I did ask you to bring your stuff..." She said, lightly teasing. "And I suppose this was your last class for the day..." She grinned at the dumbstruck look on his face. What did he expect though, when she had James Potter for both a godson and a student? Add his group, plus the Twins... she let them get away with a lot more than they thought she did. Wait, did Harry even know she was James godmother? Hmm, question for another time.

"Come on, you can Floo to the bank from my office, somebody will be waiting for you." She said, gesturing before walking away, Harry following along eagerly. She wasn't sure how much of his excitement was relief and how much of it was an honest desire to see Sirius again.

Harry practically bounced all the way into the Floo, despite his dislike of it. He was going to see Sirius, Sirius was alright! He supposed he should find it strange to be so eager to see a man he'd only spoken with a handful of times (he was closer to Severus right now in terms of relationship), but Sirius was hurt because of _him_. Whether Sirius was the actual target or not, _Harry_ was the one to shove them both down the stairs. He'd been going over it in his head for the past few weeks, thinking of ways he should have done something differently.

Maybe if he'd said something instead of pushing this wouldn't have happened?

Also, he knew that Sirius (and Severus) were the first two adults to really try and be a parent. To really care in a familial capacity. Madam Longbottom didn't count because she took him in as part of an arrangement with Gringotts. That, and she was so _old_.

Don't tell her he said that. He quite liked living.

No, she wasn't the parental figure, she was the strict grandparent.

When he got to the other end of the Floo, he found Sharptooth waiting for him. "Hello, Sharptooth, its been a while!" He greeted cheerfully. The Goblin blinked in surprise, along with the other two in the Flooing room, but otherwise didn't react beyond bowing slightly in greeting of his own.

"Indeed. This way Heir Potter-Black." He moved off, leading the way. "Lord Black has been quite... vocal and insistent in his need to see you. He's been assured of your swift recovery, but he will not calm down until he sees you, we fear. Not even the Calming Draughts are proving effective with him in this state." And that only happened when the person was _really_ worked up. Either that, or it outright knocked them out. It depended on the person in question. Harry looked at the Goblin in concern before he sped up his pace a little. Sharptooth chose not to mention it, instead just lengthening his own stride.

When they reached Sirius' room, they were greeted with the sound of arguing coming through the open door.

"I just want to see Harry. I need to see my son! Just let me up already, you little..." Whatever else was said, Harry didn't catch, because he rushed through the door and launched himself at the figure bound to the bed.

Sirius stopped his ranting at his entrance, and it was only the fact he couldn't move coupled with the glimpse of emerald green and black that kept him from lashing out in surprise. He gripped Harry tight, not wanting to let him go, and started whispering reassurances. "It's alright, pup, it's alright. I'm ok." Harry just gripped tighter.

All the excitement he'd felt had disappeared, replaced by desperation to just hold and be held. He pulled back after a minute and asked, "You're alright now?"

"I am now, pup." Sirius smiled reassuringly, and turned the boy around in his arms so they could both face the Goblins in the room. Garnock didn't look too please, but was relieved that the presence of his son was enough to calm the man down.

"Are you willing to listen now?" She asked sarcastically. Sirius didn't even have the decency to look ashamed, he just watched her expectantly. She barely resisted rolling her eyes. "Good. You've been in a coma for a little over three weeks now. The both of you sustained some damage from the fall. Lord Black, your Heir had three broken ribs, a broken arm, a concussion, and some bruising. Your quick action in wrapping around him like you did saved him from worse. He was medically cleared two weeks ago by Madam Pomfrey at Hogwarts." She said, summarizing what she'd read in Harry's medical file, stored away in Sharpaxe's office.

Sirius looked at Harry, worried and guilty. He'd tried to protect his pup, but he still got hurt. Harry just smiled at him in reassurance.

"Oh, and his Familiar sustained a broken wing that has since been healed as well. She'd cleared for Postal duty, again." She added as an afterthought. Then she turned her attention to Sirius' medical sheet.

"Now, as I said, you were in a coma for three weeks. During the fall, you sustained a severe concussion, you shattered several bones in your wrist, a broken leg, and broke several ribs. Again, severe bruising, cuts and scrapes." The bones that were broken wouldn't even have been that bad if he weren't still recovering from Azkaban. His muscular and skeletal structure were still weak from sitting in that cell, with minimal movement for eleven years. She reached over and gently pushed aside the top of his hospital pajamas. "You were clipped with the curse, and it will leave scarring, but as it missed the intended area, you've survived to make a full recovery." Harry stared at the white bandage, stitched with various runes, still covering Sirius' right shoulder.

Sirius just calmly moved the shirt back, covering it from Harry's view, and nodded at the Healer in thanks. "How much is this going to set back my recovery from Azkaban?" He asked, mentally cursing. He'd hoped to be able to take Harry home and give him a proper Christmas. He could introduce him to Yule next year, when they were both more comfortable with each other. But, this would have set back his physical therapy at the very least.

Garnock looked down at her notes. "Well, you are certainly not being released before your Heir gets out of school for Yule holidays." She said, slightly sympathetic. She knew how much Lord Black had wanted to take Harry home with him for the holidays, she knew how much she enjoyed time spent with her children. And holidays were a time for family, after all. Therefore, she sighed and cursed her soft heart. "We'll discuss possibilities when the time comes." She muttered while organizing some Potions in his bedside cabinet. If he was in his Animagus form, his tail would be wagging at full speed. She shook her head and went back to running the scans she'd been trying to run when Sirius started demanding to go to his boy.

She nodded in satisfaction. "All your bones have healed nicely, and so has the concussion. There doesn't appear to be any lingering problems... however I would like to ask you a few questions to check your memory." She said. A spark of fear entered both males eyes before Sirius nodded his agreement.

She checked his short-term memory by asking about a conversation they had in private, then tested his long-term by asking about a few things Severus had told her about when she asked so she could check his memory and recall. Amelia helped by asking a few things from his time in the Academy and afterward. Several of his answers were hilarious because because she deliberately asked about embarrassing moments she'd heard about.

The kind of events and memories that most tried to deliberately forget?

Finally, she was satisfied. "Alright, it doesn't appear that your memory has been affected, discounting lingering effects from the Dementors." The brain was such a delicate thing... and his Mind-Healer had already mentioned something about the Dementors in his file, but time away from them was already helping with that problem. "Alright then, we will leave you two alone. Don't get him worked up." She warned Harry with a stern glare. He nodded his head with wide eyes.

After a few moments of just sitting with each other, Sirius sighed. "I know what your thinking, Harry. And it wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could have done differently." Harry turned his wide eyes towards him and he huffed a laugh. "I've been in your position before, Pup. Something goes wrong, and then the constant doubts and asking yourself what you could have done different." He said, tightening his hold.

For a second, Harry marveled at how similar that had been to the conversation he had with Severus not long after arriving at Longbottom Manor. He ducked his head and wrapped his arms tighter around Sirius, being careful with his arm.

After a few moments of silence, "Hey, Sirius?" The man hummed. "What did you want to talk about? When we were leaving the courthouse?"

Sirius was silent for a moment before he sighed and gently moved Harry to sit beside him. "I wanted to ask how you felt about me gaining custody of your cousin." He said slowly, watching Harry carefully. Harry stiffened. "He will in no way replace you, you will always be my pup." He was quick to reassure. "But, well... I know what it's like to be raised thinking a certain way. I managed to escape it, with my parents, but... he's still just a kid, and I don't want to make him suffer for his parents poor parenting. And unless somebody teaches him differently, he will always be a hateful bully. The system is a good system... in theory. Not always in practice."

Harry was silent for a few moments, thinking. He could understand what Sirius was talking about, but... he didn't want to share his new home with Dudley. He was terrified that Dudley would destroy everything he had just gained. But at the same time... he agreed that Dudley had just been doing what he was taught. "Did you already apply for custody?" He asked.

"Yeah. The custody hearing is scheduled for the middle of October. I will withdraw my application if you want." He said quietly.

Harry looked down for a few more moments. "No, your right. He shouldn't suffer for what Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon taught him. I'm just..." He cut himself off.

"Worried about him coming in and ruining our chances of being a family?" Sirius asked quietly. Harry blushed slightly and nodded, still looking down at his lap. "Oh, pup." He muttered, holding Harry closer again. "That's not going to happen. Things are going to be difficult with him for a while, especially in the beginning while he adjusts and until he gets it in his head that his previous behavior is no longer happening, but we will always be a family." Harry smiled slightly and burrowed himself into Sirius' side.

"Alright. I don't mind." He frowned then. "Is he going to still be at Smeltings? Because they carry these sticks, and Dudley said that they are for hitting each other. Not to mention he has Piers there, too... he's always encouraged Dudley and egged him on."

Sirius smiled slightly at the concern. "No, I was going to transfer him out to another school. I know all about Smeltings reputation, it's a good school, academically speaking. The discipline I've read about from their students on the other hand..." He shook his head. "No, there are several schools, that are run by Squibs or Muggleborns, where the Pureblood families send Squib children. I was going to send him to one of those. Since the Headmasters have connections with magic, along with several of the staff, there will be somebody for him to talk to about having a magical relative. And all the Squib children will be good to help him as well. Well, those who aren't bitter, anyway." He frowned, thinking of the Pureblood practice of abandoning children who didn't have magic.

He supposed it was better than it used to be, they used to kill them. There were still some that were abandoned to the streets with nothing but the clothes on their backs, but it was becoming more and more the practice to set them up in a good Muggle school so they could make a living for themselves in the Muggle world. That practice was gaining even more popularity ever since a couple of Muggleborns decided to get degrees to go into the Muggle education field, and then started advertising within the wizarding world that Purebloods could send their Squibs to them, and they would make sure they were taken care of. When the Ministry heard of it, they started actively encouraging it. Several of the Squibs in every generation since then made it a point to go into the education field themselves to help Squibs like themselves.

What would surprise everybody, was to learn that the Black family had been the first to start sending Squib children to Muggle school. They were one of the few that never killed their children, and always tried to set them up for success in the Muggle world. And with those Muggleborn advertising that they were in a position to make the transition even easier, well... of course, that didn't mean the Black family had anything to do with those Squibs once they were dropped off, but they never just left them on the streets.

They may be one of the blackest, more staunchest pureblood families in Wizarding Britain history, but family was important. Family was to be taken care of and protected at all costs... at least that was the way most of them saw it. His mother and Bellatrix... enough said.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by Harry yawning against his side. Hiding his grin, he gently maneuvered so they were laying side-by-side. Harry offered some protest, but fell asleep quickly enough when Sirius started humming. He shook his head. That was one thing that never changed... Harry never failed to protest going to sleep as a baby, and Sirius humming or singing never failed to send him to sleep, either.

He would protect his Pup.

He had to.

* * *

Bill was exhausted when he finally dragged himself, along with his partner, towards his supervisor's office to report the success of the job. One lake full of Inferi destroyed, and the remains of one Regulus Black recovered. He was honestly surprised about that last fact, he would have thought the remains would have been long gone, considering the then Black Heir was killed by _Inferi_ of all things. They were known for eating their kills, after all.

Unless it was part of the trap...? That was the only explanation he could think of.

That the Dark Lord twisted the magic in the Inferi so that they would leave the victim's body intact, and the preservation charms in the lake would ensure the body was still recognizable. That way, when the Dark Lord went to investigate the disturbance, or check on it (whichever happened first), he would know who it was and who's family to go after.

Regardless... it only took five days to get through all the traps and wards guarding the cave, without triggering _other_ traps and wards. (They had visited the local village to purchase food once they realized they were going to be a while. They always had a sleeping bag on them, and a few other camping supplies). And then there was the careful disposal of the Inferi themselves. Then, once they got rid of them, they had gone out to the island to investigate what was there... needless to say, they had been unable to get rid of that potion, or take some of it for further study, until his partner revealed himself to be a Parseltongue from India. Temporarily assigned to the London branch of Gringotts for reasons he refused to share.

(Bill privately wondered if he had been temporarily reassigned for the same reasons as Bill. Because he was a Parseltongue and they were dealing with Horcruxes left behind by a Dark Lord who also happened to be a known Parseltongue. He had a feeling they were going to be partnering up a lot until this Horcrux hunt was done and they were sure that every last bit of magic left behind by the Dark Lord was gone.)

He identified the wards as being Parselmagic, Bill was frustrated to learn that Parselmagic could only be undone by other Parselmagic. Either that, or a ridiculous amount of power.

(He also wondered if his partner hadn't been brought in to act as a tutor for Harry. To get him used to his abilities as a Parseltongue and to teach him the magic that was possible with the snake language.)

 _ **"Sir, I am happy to report one cave free of Inferi. Also, the successful retrieval of the body of one Regulus Black."**_ Bill said once they were in the office after knocking and hearing the invite to come in.

 ** _"Ah, good, good."_** The Goblin said, absently finishing with his report. " ** _The body?"_** He asked, looking up.

Bill nodded and pulled the black bead out of an inside pocket sewn into his uniform robes just for the purpose of not losing small objects like that before they had a chance to hand it off or put it in something else. He carefully handed it over, and it was placed in a decorated, black bag made out of silk.

It would be presented to the Lord Black, and he would make arrangements for the funeral rites. The body would be transfigured back for preparation once those arrangements were made. He also handed over the locket they found and the potion sample they took. Both handed over a copy of the memory of the raid.

Rather than filing a report, Goblins found it easier (and less costly on parchment) for the Curse-Breakers to make a copy of their memory pertaining to the event. That way, actions could be studied in further detail, and they wouldn't have to worry about whether or not they missed anything relevant or important in the report. It was also for the purpose of making sure the employee didn't try to cheat them of anything found in the tombs. (They did get to keep a small share of the treasure found, but not much. The more of the treasure they kept, the less they were paid, too, so it evened out.) The date, and what the memory was of would be written out on a tag, and they would be stored away. Sometimes, they were brought out and used to teach new recruits when they were still in the training phase of their employment.

 _ **"Hmm... I will give this to Lord Black as well."**_ The supervisor said, frowning at the locket. Then he held up the potion. **_"This will go to the labs for testing, of course."_** He set it aside before reaching into his desk and pulling out the tags for the memory vials, passing them over for the Curse-Breakers to fill them out. Taking them and tying them to the respective vial when they were done. **_"Alright, boys. To the Infirmary to get checked out, and I will see you tomorrow."_** He said, leaning back in his chair and looking at them.

They nodded, but before Bill left, he asked, **_"Sir, about what we discussed before this job?"_** He asked.

The Goblin blinked for a moment. **_"Oh! Yes, I spoke with King Ragnok, he said to just proceed as we have been. The Nation will be on the alert."_** He shrugged. Bill frowned, but nodded and left. Intent on going to the Infirmary and then going straight to his bed at the Burrow.

* * *

Kingsley had just returned from a meeting with the Goblins regarding the files he'd been pouring over, and the files that kept coming the more they investigated themselves.

(He'd also had another meeting with his account manager about his own vault security. For the duration of the investigations, his vault could only be accessed with blood, magical signature, key, and presence of the account manager and one other Goblin. They had discussed similar security measures for the other Aurors also working this case. His account manager also had a security Goblin with him at all times. He'd already had the wards around his home checked, and Amelia had assigned an Auror or two for his wife's safety.)

"Alright, everyone, listen up!" Amelia called when she stepped out of her office, still wearing her Wizengamot robes. "I just got word, England has been selected to host the 1994 Quidditch World Cup! The search for where to build the stadium has already started, and I have the sign-up sheet for those of you who want to work the event. Know this now, if there are not enough volunteers at the time of said event, then I will just assign people to it, anyway, regardless of whether or not you have tickets to be a spectator. If you do get tickets, let me know, that way I know who is already there should an emergency arise." She looked around for a moment. "I know we still have a couple of years, but with an event like this, it's best to start early so you can start making plans. Which is why I am calling for volunteers rather than just assigning Aurors, I know some of you will want to attend with your families." She looked around again before sticking the sheets to the wall outside her door with a sticking charm and going back into her office.

She was already unbuttoning her Wizengamot robes as she went, so she could take them off and get back into her (much more comfortable and fashionable) Auror robes.

Kingsley leaned back in his chair and started thinking. His wife would probably want to go, she loved Quidditch. Well, he would see what she said when he got home and heard what the Healer said. She'd been sick the last few days, so he made her an appointment and made her promise to go, while making sure Gawain Robards (one of the Aurors on her detail) knew to make sure she got there. He thought he knew, but he wasn't going to get his hopes up. He would wait for what the Healer said.

He sighed and glanced at the files on his desk again. He was going out to interview Bathilda Bagshot today, she should have something for him. From all accounts Dumbledore grew up in Godric's Hollow near where she lived after his father was sent to Azkaban for assaulting three Muggle boys... and refused to say why. He also made a mental note to visit with Aberforth Dumbledore later on. Those financial reports took forever to get through, he was just now starting on everything else. And a couple more financial reports landed on his desk everyday.

From what he gathered, the reason it was taking so long for the Goblins to uncover it all, was because whatever Goblin (it could have only been a Goblin helping him) was helping Dumbledore, he'd been good at covering their tracks. They were being led on wild goose chases trying to follow parchment trails, some of those trails led to a dead-end, some didn't. They had to backtrack so many times and try to unravel so much parchmentwork... it was taking them a while. And, the fact that they were having to go back at least fifty years, into the records. That was taking a while, as well.

Not only that, but because of the leak Amelia had discovered after learning about several reports Arthur left on her desk, that she never saw, he had started carrying all his files for this case with him at all times. His account manager had given him a money pouch, the ones they only handed out for their wealthiest clients, to keep the files in. They didn't just hold money, after all. He wasn't taking the chance of any of these files disappearing on him, this case was too important.

He sighed and got up to head back out. On his way out, he stopped by the front desk and filled out a request form for vacation time, leaving the space for the dates he wanted blank for now, putting off the side that as soon as the current case was done. The men assigned to the desk just gave him sympathetic smiles.

Everyone knew he was on the Dumbledore case.

* * *

Bill quietly walked into the Burrow, aiming straight for his room. He was trying to be quiet so he didn't alert his mother that he was there before he had a chance to clean up and take care of his small injuries. He'd of course been checked over for anything more severe before leaving the bank, but these were just cuts and bruises. Per the Goblins warrior tradition, they would just be cleaned up so the cuts didn't get infected, and left to heal on their own. As a way of showing off that you were a fighter and survivor.

That Muggle saying 'you should see the other guy?' Yeah, Bill was pretty sure that was stolen from the Goblins somehow.

He cringed when he was going past the living room and heard his parents talking. He cringed even more when the first stair he stepped on decided to creak. He felt like crying. That stair hadn't creaked when he was younger and sneaking down to the kitchen for a midnight snack, or sneaking outside with Charlie to fly!

"Bill, is that you?" Molly called after a moment. Clearly she'd glanced at the clock to see who it could have been. He sighed.

"Yes, mom." He called back, directing his feet towards the living room instead. When he stepped in and heard her gasp, he cursed in Egyptian.


	30. Chapter 30

_**Gobbledygook**_

I've gotten several comments about the amount of money Harry is worth. One thing to remember, is that most of that is tied up in various investments, and it's also the combined total of what all the heirlooms (and books) in there are worth as well. There is not that much gold literally sitting around collecting dust. That's how much the vault is worth in total based on the combination of other items liquidated value and investments, plus the actual gold.

There is a bit of a time skip here.

Here is the current poll for the Muggleborns name:

Morgan (or Morganna)- 6

Allegra (Italian for Joyous)- 5

Rosetta- 2

Lydia- 2

Lydia Rose

* * *

It was finally Saturday.

Finally the day where he was going to meet with Severus... he had been sitting here staring at the clock for the past hour or so, trying to muster up the courage to go. He had initially wanted to get there early, so he was going to leave at eleven, but it was almost twelve now and he still had yet to leave. He better get his courage up now, or he was going to be late.

And he knew, from past experience, that Severus wasn't going to sit waiting for long. At most, he would wait for maybe fifteen minutes, _maybe,_ before he wrote Remus off as a bad job and left.

He didn't want that to happen... he had so much he wanted to ask him, like how on earth all this could possibly happen.

How could Sirius be thrown in Azkaban just like that... how could he, _he,_ turn his back on him like that? How could he suspect Sirius, James and him were like brothers while he and Peter were just... on the sidelines a bit.

Oh, that's not to say that he and Peter were just tagalongs, no. They were genuinely an inseparable group where each of them contributed. Ideas, homework help, comfort when one of them needed it... when one of them messed up, they all suffered for it until that one got his head together and apologized... and _meant_ it. When he was outed as a werewolf to the rest of the group, it was Sirius who did the research and suggest the other three become Animagi, to keep him company and keep the wolf calmer.

He said that since wolves were pack animals, that having others nearby would help. Oh, they might not be wolves themselves, but they would still be nearby. And they could still help keep the wolf calm. Sirius even went so far as to send a letter to his grandfather, making it sound like he was just curious, to inquire if any research had been done to see if wolves could infect another human if said human was in an Animagus form.

(Somehow, he doubted that his grandfather believed it was just for curiosity sake).

But James and Sirius... when Sirius had to run for it from his own home, it was James he went to first. When Regulus joined the Death Eaters, it was James he went to first, barely intelligible through his tears and sobbing. When his parents died, it was Sirius that James went to first, and when Harry was born, it was Sirius that James called first and named godfather... along with Severus it seemed.

Those two were just as close, if not closer than Fabian and Gideon Prewett, and those two were magical _twins_ for Merlin's sake. They could literally read each others minds.

And he believed them when they said that Sirius betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort. When they said Sirius was the responsible for betraying little baby Harry... their Cub.

The Cub he abandoned on the word of one old man that he never trusted in the first place.

What kind of pack Alpha did that make him? That he just abandoned the pack's Cub like that?

Sure, there were probably wards in place, and their connection was muted almost to the point of being shut down, but...

Sure, he never really exerted his authority in that aspect, especially while they were all human, much to his own regret sometimes, but... as Alpha it was his job to take care of the others.

He glanced at the clock again and grimaced. What kind of pack Alpha did it make him if he was afraid of one little meeting, especially when it was a meeting where he would learn how his two remaining pack members were doing? Of course, he was also probably going to be hexed five ways from Sunday, but... that was a small price to pay for abandoning them.

Sighing, he got up and left.

11:59 AM.

* * *

Albus sat behind his desk, deep in thought.

It was getting to be late in October, and the brat still wasn't showing any signs of being under the potions, or the charms he wove. He should be defending Albus at every turn, especially in light of the newspaper articles coming out.

He was having to endure the looks of the students, and some of the staff. All of them, questioning him. Judging him. As if they had the right to question any of his decisions! He was Albus Dumbledore! Everything he did was all for the Greater Good! And if he was the only one who was capable of understanding what the Greater Good was, well...

He had finally been forced to lift the ban on the Prophets in the wake of so many angry parents, especially when he found out the Weasley twins were sneaking the blasted things in, anyway. No matter how much he searched, he could not find out how they'd been getting in and out of the school... it had to be one of the secret passageways... Albus had never been able to find them no matter how much he searched. He had initially thought that he would learn of them when he became Headmaster and took control of the Wards.

Nope.

He had tried, several times, to follow the Marauder's when they used one of them, but they always gave him the slip somehow. Or, seemed to know they were being followed, leading to them giving it up as a bad job and going back to the Common Room. Whenever that happened, they never tried again for at least a few days, sometimes longer.

That wasn't important now, though. Well, finding the passageways was, he needed to be able to block them up to keep students from getting out. They could not be allowed to move wherever, whenever. They were children and didn't know what was best for them, after all.

But... how to get Potter back under his influence?

With Black back in Gringotts and his assassin caught and talk of him being handed over to the ICW for sentencing, that avenue was closed for the time being... at least it was until Black was released and allowed to go home. Hmm...

He dug through the files his informant managed to get ahold of... there.

A contracting company Gringotts used was being hired out to renovate and otherwise make necessary repairs to Black properties, whichever ones needed it the most. Although, they seemed to be focusing on the main manor and a property in London first... if he could get somebody on those work crews and leave a few... gifts, behind for when Black returned home...

He nodded, satisfied. That was one problem dealt with. Now to get the boy back under control period.

He was starting to wonder if Severus hadn't been more involved in all this then he thought.

* * *

Severus swept into the _Three Broomsticks_ at 11:55 and requested a room plus butterbeer and lunch, asking her to keep an eye out for Remus Lupin and send him up _if_ he bothered to show up. The look Rosmerta gave him when he said that, with the annoyed look on his face, said volumes for what she thought of his assumption that he wouldn't show. Of course, she was one of the few that knew just what was currently going on between him and Harry, she'd been subject to more than one drunken rant on his part not long after James and Lily died. (Luckily under hastily thrown up privacy wards).

This was obviously before he pulled himself together, just in time to be thrown in Azkaban for being a Death Eater. It took Albus a month to bother getting him out, and another few weeks to push him into being the Potions Professor at Hogwarts. That first year was... interesting. To say the least. It wasn't long after he had his life back in order that he felt he was able to look after his godson and started demanding to know where he was, started demanding his godson period.

Albus tired of his demands pretty quickly, and forbade him from mentioning his godson again lest he find himself right back in Azkaban, sharing a cell with Sirius. Now, this was before James and Lilies wills were found, so he briefly entertained the idea just for the sake of ripping Sirius Black apart with his bare hands. Luckily for Sirius, common sense reared its head and he resisted, otherwise he wouldn't be able to keep an eye out for Harry. Wouldn't be able to keep an eye on the old fool.

That, and finding those Wills would have been useless since Severus would have killed him.

He was brought out of the past by the door opening to reveal one Remus Lupin. He checked the time and raised an eyebrow when he realized the wolf was right on time. He narrowed his eyes. Remus didn't _do_ right on time. He did a half hour to an hour early if he could. "How long did you stand there staring at the time, debating whether you should run again or not?" He asked icily.

Remus winced. "An hour." He said, quietly. Severus grimaced when he came further into the room and he got a good look.

"You look awful." He was a very blunt person. Don't let anyone tell you any different.

"Yeah, well... employment may be possible in other countries, but there are still few who will even consider hiring one of my kind." Remus was bitter. Sure, he had found a good job, and it paid well enough to keep him fed, but not much else. When he got back in Britain, he'd only been able to get a meal in the Leaky Cauldron every few days because Tom knew him and didn't mind Werewolves. Severus quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Well, that was one point in his favor for not taking Harry. However, that was the only excuse he could possibly have for not seeking Harry out. The fact remained that he would have had to search for the boy, and actually interact with him over the years, in order to actually be able to take the boy with him. So, it was a moot point.

"Sit." He finally said after a few minutes of watching the werewolf in front of him. "I've ordered lunch. You look like you could use it." He added, still eyeing the man, wondering if Sirius would be willing to give the man a job or something. It would guarantee the wolf didn't have any reason to run off again, and still keep his pride intact. Well, once they cursed it into his head that it wasn't being done out of pity or sympathy, anyway.

As angry as he was with the wolf, he still wanted Harry to be able to get to know him. Remus could provide that calm and quiet that Severus and Sirius couldn't.

Remus scowled half-heartedly at the repeated comment on how he currently looked. He was well aware of how awful he currently looked, thank you very much. It wasn't like he could afford three meals a day since he'd got back, and had no more income since he came back.

They waited in silence for a few minutes, until Rosmerta came and brought them their food. After she came and left, Severus spoke while watching Remus savor his food for a moment. "Why?" He said simply.

Remus paused and glanced up, not even needing to ask, 'why what?' He sighed and finished chewing before answering. "After James and Lily..." He choked on the words, before he continued as if nothing happened. "I was still with the packs on Albus's orders. I only knew something happened, through the pack bond. I didn't know what, though. It wasn't until I got back to report that I learned _He_ found them and..." He choked off. "Albus told me everything about Sirius and Peter, and I tried to demand at least _seeing_ Harry, but he refused. He wouldn't even tell me who he was placed with so I could say if Lily and James would have approved. All I was told was that he was safe." He chuckled darkly. "I refused to even think about Sirius, the betrayal was just..." He shook his head and pulled out the _Daily Prophet_ articles Severus had sent. He'd been carrying them around all week.

"He refused to tell you where to find him, did you even try it by yourself?" Severus asked, eyes narrowed. "He's the Pack Cub, finding him that way should have been as easy and simple as breathing."

Remus shook his head. "The bond was cut off. Or, smothered, something. I don't know, I can feel enough to know he's alive, other than that..." He shrugged and shook his head. "I can only guess that some wards were added or something to block it, but then that wouldn't work when he's not under those wards, would it?" He asked, he had actually just thought about that. Because Harry clearly wasn't under those wards for at least two weeks before going back to Hogwarts.

And, not feeling his Cub had almost driven him over the edge, driven him feral. Losing his Cub on top of the rest of his pack... He'd been surprised when Greyback showed up out of nowhere, taken one look at him, and put him to work. Kept him busy, and his mind off his loss. So that going feral didn't happen... if that happened, it would have been a death sentence, any wolf he came across would have killed him on sight, if the Aurors or Hunters didn't get to him first, anyway. For a feral wolf was out of control, and there was no way of rehabilitating them, of bringing them back under control. The only course was to kill them, it was an act of mercy, really.

When he was finally coherent enough to care, he'd tried to fight Greyback off, but then the older wolf forced him to listen to what really happened when Remus was bitten, forced him to watch the memories, too. It wasn't Greyback that bit him, it was a wolf of his pack that went feral after losing his Mate and Cubs to the Hunters. The fact that they'd used the Homorphus charm on him as well, had not helped matters, _at all_. Greyback happened to be the last thing Remus remembered seeing before falling unconscious, because Greyback got there just in time to stop the other wolf from killing him. He'd come back the next morning, to speak with Remus' parents and/or offer to take Remus in, if they didn't want him anymore, anyway. They refused to have anything to do with Greyback, and ran him off.

After that, John Lupin was the one to start the rumors of Greyback being bloodthirsty, and going after children. He also became one of the biggest supporters for the Hunters. All while keeping his werewolf son hidden, of course. He made it a point of searching for cures, and the Wolfsbane came about during that search, but it was useless for a wolf that accepted themselves. They were already in control. No, Wolfsbane potion was little more than poison, especially taken long term.

Greyback also explained that he did nothing to earn his reputation, yeah, he brought kids into the pack. But that was only after rouge or feral wolves bit them. He never personally went after kids. _Never._ About the only thing true about him was that he was a Death Eater, one of the first. He was rarely ever summoned though, he mostly joined just because the Dark Lord promised to abolish the current laws against werewolves, he mostly acted as the liaison between the Dark Lord and the wolf packs. (like Remus did for Dumbledore, only the wolves would never side with Dumbledore even if he was the last wizard on the planet. He may have the wizards fooled, but not Creatures or those otherwise affiliated with the Dark) Of course, that was before his plans suddenly started changing.

After Greyback deemed him mentally stable enough, he left Britain to find work.

Severus was silent as Remus explained all this. He didn't say anything for a long time, chewing his food while he watched Remus fidgeting with his fork.

Finally, he spoke. "How did Greyback know to come?" He asked.

Remus shrugged. "He must of heard what happened. It's no secret among the wolf communities that my pack is made up of humans. Or who they are. One way or another, my pack had just been destroyed in a few hours." He honestly didn't care how Greyback found out, he was glad he did.

Severus nodded. Finally, he started explaining everything that had been happening while Remus was gone. Including what had happened within the school the year before. By the time he was done, he knew Harry would be back from visiting Sirius for the day, and Remus was pacing in agitation.

"I want to meet him." He said abruptly. Severus had not been expecting that. He tilted his head. "Harry. I need to see him." Remus elaborated.

Severus blinked, and he understood. Remus may not have gone feral, but it was close. He may have been deemed mentally stable enough to be able to function without the risk of going feral again, but it was close. It could still happen. That chance was going to be there the longer he was kept from his cub, especially now knowing just how badly his cub had suffered, and he wasn't there.

Severus considered the werewolf in front of him for a moment, before he nodded. "I was planning on bringing Harry into the Forest tonight, to pick some ingredients. Teach him some more about them, and how to find them in the wild if he should need or want to. We'll be out there at eleven, you can come around one, we should have most of what I want found by then." He said, and stood up before he swept from the room.

* * *

Narcissa studied the letter in front of her with a slight frown.

The first week of school, she had written to Draco, and made it very clear how tenuous his position currently was, and that his behavior had to change. She had made it clear just how that was to happen, and what she expected of him.

His answering letter had not been encouraging. Nor, had the reports she had asked Severus to send her regarding his behavior. While he did seem to be leaving Heir Potter-Black alone for the most part... if anything his behavior had only grown worse since his first-year. More arrogant, and more confrontational with those that the Malfoy teachings would say 'don't even deserve to live, let alone wield magic'. In other words, the Muggleborn and half-bloods. Whereas the Blacks took more of a 'wait and see if they can be useful to us' approach.

Most of the time...

Depending on which Black you were talking to, anyway.

Although... even the ones that proved themselves useful were still considered scum under their shoes.

In Draco's letter to her, he had implied that Sirius wouldn't dare disown him because he was the Heir to the Noble House of Malfoy. And that his father would crush Sirius like an ant if he ever tried. He said something about Sirius needing to consider himself lucky that the House Malfoy ever graced House Black with their presence. (She was half tempted to disown him herself, after that slight to her birth House, not to mention what he implied about her!)

And, reading this report, not even being taken off the Quidditch team like he did seemed to have curbed his behavior.

She set it down and leaned back, frowning. She only had until his fifteenth birthday to correct his behavior or they were both disowned from the Black Family. Sure, the Malfoy vaults were extensive, but nothing like what she was used to, nothing like what Draco was entitled to as a son of House Black. Not to mention, being disowned would be a disgrace, Lucius would probably be angry enough to get rid of her... find another powerful family to marry into to replace the influence lost...

Draco would never learn what he was entitled to learn, he would never learn the Family Magic. The Malfoy Family had no such Family Magic to teach him, they were old enough, but their origins were in France. Everything they had was destroyed years ago, if they ever even _had_ Family Magics to begin with.

No, she would not allow Draco's father to get them disowned from her birth House. Because that was what all this boiled down to, this attitude displayed by Draco was instilled in him by his father, if they were disowned, it would be Lucius's fault.

She pursed her lips in thought before reaching for a piece of parchment and quill.

She would meet with Severus, and they would work out a schedule where she could come to Hogwarts and start correcting her sons attitude.

It was clear that she couldn't wait for the Yule season.

* * *

Harry yawned as he followed Severus into the Forest. Since it was Saturday, Severus had made it a tutoring night, although a _late_ tutoring night... it was a good thing he could sleep in tomorrow...

Although if Oliver Wood even considered the possibility of getting him up for a morning practice, the boy was getting cursed, and Harry may or may not try to regulate his magic.

"Why are we doing this so late again?" He asked after his yawn. He readjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder, the same bag Severus had gotten him in the apothecary for carrying his ingredients in.

"There are some ingredients that are only useful when picked during certain phases of the moon, and they can only be picked by the light of the moon, so these ones can't be grown in a greenhouse, they would never be of any use." He looked up. "Now, there are several ingredients that I'm running low on, that can only be picked tonight. Of course, any other ingredients we run across that don't need the moon, we can still pick." He gave the closest thing to a shrug that Harry would ever see him give. Some of the ingredients picked tonight, could of course go into Harry's storage cupboard in his trunk, and maybe a few cuttings.

Harry nodded his understanding, looking around. He didn't really like being in here, last time he was... Voldemort was drinking unicorn blood and tried to attack him.

It wasn't a good experience.

"Hey, what's this?" He asked suddenly, going up to a tree branch and reaching out to touch the soft, white strings hanging from it.

"Unicorn tail hair." Severus said, impressed. "It is very versatile, used in wands and can be used in other areas as well. It's very strong, nearly impossible to break. Also, on the market it runs roughly twelve Galleons a _hair._ "

"...Seriously? One strand of this stuff, for _twelve_ Galleons?" Harry deadpanned.

Severus chuckled at his disbelief. "It's very rare, and as I said versatile. Because unicorns stay to themselves, don't let men approach, and are even wary of women, it's difficult to get. Most of what we get is found in trees after being caught and torn out, much like what is here." He gestured towards the hairs still stuck in the tree. "Here. Let's gather it, and you can decide what to do with it later." He said, moving to start gently untangling it from the tree. It was too valuable to just leave here.

Although, he supposed Hagrid might find it later, and he knew the half-giant used it during his duties on the school grounds. According to him, the stuff was perfect for tying a splint or something on a creature so they couldn't rub through the strings and remove said splint. He also braided it into ropes to use for tying injured creatures up so he could treat them without them running away, apparently some of the creatures were too strong for regular rope.

Of course, he doubted that any of that would be how Harry would use it...

Carefully, the hairs were removed from the tree and folded up so they wouldn't get tangled. They were then placed in a small bag Severus had brought to put leaves and such in.

He did, though, glance at how close they were to the tree-line and frown, making a mental note to let Hagrid know that the unicorns had been coming pretty close to the school, their usual area was further in than this. Especially after that incident last year where several unicorns turned up dead. (Now he knew that was Quirrell with the Dark Lord sticking out of his head, but...) Wouldn't want somebody (a student) spotting one and getting ideas. Probably stupid ones...

"Alright, did you study those ingredients I told you to look up earlier this week? Enough to recognize them?" He asked his godson after the hairs were carefully tucked away.

"Yes, I was wondering what that was about." Harry said with a small smile. He had honestly been slightly confused, but he memorized the pictures as asked, he should have known that Severus didn't do anything without reason.

Severus gave a small smile of his own back. "Indeed. Keep an eye out, if you see something else you think we might find useful, say something. Keep an eye out for more unicorn hair, if you want, as well... and stay close." He instructed, eyeing the boy sternly. "I don't want you getting lost out here. You were lucky enough Firenze came to your rescue last year." He frowned at the thought.

Harry swallowed, and nodded. He had no intentions of leaving Severus' side, that was for sure. Especially with Halloween coming up next week, he had no wish to invite something to happen, he only hoped this year would be quiet, and there would be no more trolls.

They spent close to three hours in the Forest, gathering ingredients and just spending time together. Harry ended up finding two more trees with unicorn hair snagged in the branches, these hairs joined the ones already carefully tucked away. Harry ended up with several more cuttings to add to his greenhouse, as well as an interesting one he was going to give Neville, he didn't remember seeing it in the Longbottom greenhouses.

When Harry wasn't looking, Severus had unsnagged a fourth bundle of hair from another tree and put it away, he had plans for it. All the other strands, Harry got to keep and decide what to do with. It wasn't like Severus needed it, or that he couldn't just come in the forest later on and find more.

Severus checked his watch and frowned. Remus should have been here an hour ago. What was keeping him?

Just as he was glancing around in annoyance, he heard a twig snap behind them. His wand was in his hand, and Harry was being shoved behind him as he spun around before he even registered that he'd moved. They may be in a safe part of the Forest right now, but this was still the Forbidden Forest. One never knows what they might find in here. To his relief (and annoyance), it was just Remus.

"Lupin, don't do that again." He warned, pointing his wand at him for good measure, once he'd had a moment to catch his breath, anyway. "You're late."

"Sorry." Remus shot him an apologetic smile, otherwise his attention was on Harry, who was slightly uncomfortable with his gaze. "I was getting something, and lost track of time." More like using up what little money he had left to get Harry something to at least hopefully be a start at making up for the numerous missed birthdays and Yule. He'd sent something every year, but it always returned unopened and untouched. He kept it all, of course, and he would give it to Harry later, but right now... it had taken him a long time to find something just right.

"Lupin?" Harry questioned, a thoughtful look on his face as he thought back to where he'd heard that name before. "Oh! Uncle Sev told me about you." He eyed Remus curiously. This was Moony? Guy looked like he could use a few meals.

Remus glanced at Severus in surprise. But nodded, although he was curious about just _what_ it was that Severus told him. And how much of it had to do with his being a werewolf. "Yeah, cub. You've gotten so big." He whispered in awe. "Ah, here, I uh... I got you something." He said quickly, holding the package out. It wasn't much, but it was what he could afford. It took the last of his meager funds, for that matter. He would figure something out for meals in the coming days.

Harry glanced at Severus, before reaching out and taking it, looking curious. As he opened it, Remus looked on nervously. "I know it's not much, but..." He trailed off when Harry took it out and held it up, letting the packaging fall to the ground. Severus raised an eyebrow and looked grudgingly impressed about how perfect it was, especially considering this was the first time Remus had seen Harry in eleven years.

Harry didn't do big gestures and gifts. At least, not towards himself. His friends, he would spoil them rotten, as long as it was something he knew they would like. Case in point, the birthday gifts he got for Longbottom and Granger. And the party he threw Granger, full of Pureblood children who followed tradition regarding acceptable gifts for a newly thirteen year old witch.

"I love it." Harry said softly, holding the drawing pad and pencils to his chest with a smile. Really, Severus only briefly mentioned the boy could draw. It was just a random, passing thought. Remus must have been trying to decide for hours what to get Harry, and then, when he finally figured it out, must have spent forever finding a store open this late at night that sold what he wanted. Of course, it would have been a Muggle store, but... unless he used magic to break in, and left the money on the counter along with a note about what was taken.

Remus seemed like the type.

For now, he sat down on a fallen log and let the two talk, only occasionally chiming in.

It was a very good thing the next day was a Sunday.

* * *

Tom Riddle sat in his 'library' within the diary, deep in thought. He'd finally been able to pinpoint when his thoughts started becoming clearer, and he only did that when he noticed that he was no longer _half_ a soul. But, rather he was now _most_ of a soul.

And wasn't _that_ eye-opening.

And a little concerning... because it meant the main soul was probably insane at this point, and somebody was destroying the other Horcruxes, or something was happening to them. The pieces of soul within those containers was then coming to merge with him, which meant that, as half of the main soul, he was the biggest piece out there. Yeah... that wasn't good.

So, now he had to make a choice. He could take over the girl, and come out, continuing his original plans, while gathering the rest of the soul that had not yet joined with him, or he could get the girl to give him to somebody else... no matter who he had her hand him off to though, it would be another fangirl.

That was guaranteed. Of course, she was a fangirl too, but her brothers were those he'd declared off-limits because of their actions in attempting to protecting the Potter boy from the others...

Whatever he decided, it would need to be quick. Samhain was coming up, and he had plans to open the Chamber then, to check on Slitha. Maybe let her out to roam... and perhaps start to purge the school... although he hadn't yet decided if he was going to continue what he'd already started back in his sixth year and go after Muggleborns, or if he was going to change targets.

* * *

 **As you can tell, Tom Riddle _really_ hates fangirls and boys. Perhaps even more than he does his Muggle heritage...**


End file.
